Witch Hunt
by Ava Brett
Summary: Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now they have to make a choice... their coven or the loves of their lives because something has to give.
1. Sam one, Gabriel Zero

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Welcome to Witch Hunt.  
**

**If you're a brand new reader to the story then I really hope you enjoy what you're about to read, if however, you're already a fan of Witch Hunt and you just felt like revisiting it from the beginning so you can remind yourself of what happened then yay! I'm so glad you like it enough to do that!**

**This story was born one night out of the blue a few months back. If memory serves me correctly I had, had no intention of writing it and yet once I began exploring the idea it grew and grew until I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to have a monster of a story on my hands. For a moment I thought about abandoning the story before it had even began because of the sheer level of commitment I knew it was going to need from me but In the end I couldn't do it. I had to follow it through and if it meant ending up with a story with a hundred chapters or so then so be it. The pressure and time would be worth it to bring this story to life.**

**All the characters from the show will be included, some will have large parts, others might be mere name mentions or small parts (much like in the show). You'll discover who is who once you begin reading the story.**

**Sam and Dean are of course slightly different in personality but not enough that you won't recognise them instantly, they are merely in a different situation then in the show, the same with Castiel and Gabriel.**

**Anyway that's enough talking from me.**

**All that's left to say is that I hope you enjoy the story and thank you for being willing to come on this journey with me :)  
**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Gabriel and Castiel Novak drive to Lawrence, Kansas for a new case…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/De****an Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**One sided Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

**Hints of one sided Jake Talley / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter One

Sam = One, Gabriel = Zero

* * *

"Pack your bags up little bro we're heading out. I've found us a job which is right up our street." Castiel Novak looked up from the screen of his laptop, raising a dark eyebrow as his brother Gabriel entered the motel room they were sharing, a massive smile plastered on his face which automatically placed Castiel on full alert. That look on his brother's face always meant trouble of some kind for the pair of them. Trouble which he could quite frankly have done without at that one moment in time.

"We just finished the shape shifter job an hour ago Gabe" Castiel pointed out even as he began to save his work on the computer. "You're normally out in the local bar having a few celebratory drinks by now, chatting up the local eligible bachelors so you can pick one to spend the evening with."

"True and normally there's nothing I like more" Gabriel remarked, dragging his duffel bag from under the bed where he had stashed it and throwing it on the mattress, his gaze moving around the room trying to locate his belongings which had been flung about the room during the brothers three day stay. "But the minute I heard about this case, was the minute I wanted to the job. It might as well have our names written all over it Cassie."

"Ok, I'll bite" Castiel said with a sigh. "What exactly is the job you're talking about?"

Gabriel glanced at him, stuffing some wrinkled t-shirts into his bag, his grin firmly back in place.

"Witches Baby Bro!" he stated happily. "Apparently there's been some strange goings on in Lawrence, Kansas recently. Subtle things mind you, things that no one who wasn't an expert like we are would actually notice, but they are happening which can only mean that someone in that town is performing magic and if they are performing magic then it means that there is a witch there and if there is a witch roaming about the place, then it means that we hunt the bitch down and we end her."

Castiel eyes narrowed slightly.

"What sort of small things?" he asked causing Gabriel to sigh loudly.

"Look bro I can answer your twenty million questions on the way, just pack up your shit and let's get the hell out of here. Unless you rather we sit around here, discussing the job and our feelings while other Hunters, like Uriel and Anna for example, head over to Lawrence and kills our prize before we have the chance to. I mean the decision is completely up to you but I'm going regardless of whether you're with me or not, if you don't fancy this one and you want to split up for a while and meet up later then that's cool with me."

"Uriel and Anna" Castiel hissed slamming the lid of his laptop with more force then necessary.

"Thought that would grab your attention" Gabriel said gleefully.

Uriel and Anna were both hunters who tended to pair up together to work jobs, more often then not ending up in the same place as Gabriel and Castiel, something which Castiel was sure they planned in advance since there were more then enough jobs going around America for them never to have met each other. Neither of them had particularly bothered him in past and to be honest he had rarely given much thought to them, other to admit that they were both good Hunters if slightly ruthless, but that had been right up to the point they had actually interfered in one of the brothers hunts. Uriel had appeared from no where in the graveyard they had been working in, distracting Castiel long enough from his task for the spirit to realise that Castiel was about to burn his now salted bones. It had been over to him in a flash throwing him into a nearby gravestone with enough force that the stone had cracked under the impact his body has made against it. By the time Castiel had awoken with a frantic Gabriel leaning over him he realised that not only did he have a severe concussion which could take weeks to completely heal, but also that Uriel could have gotten him killed with his stunt. If he died then Gabriel would be alone in the world with no one there to watch him back and that was something which Castiel would not forget and certainly not forgive.

It had been straight out war after that between the four Hunters and there would be no way in hell that Castiel would allow them to get the upper hand on them now and take their prize from them. This Witch Hunt was theirs and theirs alone. He would be damned if he allowed anyone else to do it.

He stood up, grabbing his light black jacket which he had draped on the back of his chair and pulled it on, turning his gaze to Gabriel when the older man walked out of the bathroom holding his small wash bag and whistling a tune to him self.

"Well hurry up then Gabe" he remarked, picking the laptop off the desk and tucking it under his arm before he reached down and grabbed his already packed duffel bag from the floor space beside his bed. "These witches aren't going to catch themselves."

* * *

"So this is Lawrence, Kansas then" Gabriel remarked, pulling over in their car and killing the engine leaving them in silence. He peered through the window screen, pulling a face. "Well it doesn't seem like much does it? What kind of self respecting witch of any kind would be caught dead in a place like this? Why can't they ever hang out somewhere nice like in Vegas instead?" he asked with a sigh.

Castiel shrugged his shoulder, pushing his door open and exiting the car, stretching his cramped muscles with a thankful sigh. They had driven through the night, taking it in turns at the wheel to ensure they made it before Uriel and Anna did, now however he was tired, hungry and not in the mood to listen to his brother chat any more random shit at him. A whole car journey was enough.

"I've think we've established by now Gabe that witches will hang out anywhere, whether its in Vegas or in a small town like this" he pointed out, turning around and closing the door before he leaned forward, resting his arms on top of the car.

"But Vegas-" Gabriel began, his voice taking on the whiny tone which grated on Castiel's nerves more then any other sound he had experienced.

"It's nine in the evening" Castiel stated interrupting Gabriel before he could really get going with his chosen topic of conversation. "I suggest we find the local bar, grab some food and drink and then decide what our plan of action for the morning is going to be. We can find a motel once we've eaten since I doubt it will be fully booked considering the time of year and where we are. I don't know about you but I want to sleep in an actual bed with a mattress and a pillow because this" he slapped his palm against the warm metal "Isn't exactly comfortable to sleep in."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, slamming his own door shut before he locked it.

"God I forget what a grouch you can be when you haven't been fed, fine" he looked around him thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the surrounding buildings before a grin came to his face. He lifted his arm up and jabbed his finger towards a brightly lit bar at the corner of the street. "That looks like a place which serves food and alcohol. We can go there, it's as good a place as any and at least it's close by. I wouldn't want you to die of starvation after all Cassie."

"How many times have I told you Gabriel. Don't call me Cassie!" Castiel remarked in annoyance, walking towards the lit building without waiting for Gabriel.

All he wanted at that moment was some food; he was so hungry that he was willing to eat anything, even potentially bad food from a random bar in a small town in Kansas.

He glanced up at the name of the bar as he entered.

_The impala_

Castiel frowned, what kind of name was that for a bar? He stopped in the doorway and looked around him in surprise, blinking to make sure he wasn't imagining things. From the outside the pub had look small and cramped but from the inside it looked anything but small and cramped. It was large and spacious and extremely busy, the sound of laughter and chatting merging together with the soft rock music creating a nice atmosphere which had Castiel relaxing despite him self, all his annoyance and tiredness melting away as though it had never existed in the first place. He would have described the place as cosy if he had to choose a word. He could see himself sinking into one of the comfortable looking booths to the side of the room and not moving a muscle for the rest of the night.

"Stop looking at the place with such a dopey look on your face Castiel and move it will ya? Food and lots and lots of drinks and shots are needed tonight. There's no reason after all that we can't celebrate our most recent job success here" Gabriel stated from behind Castiel, placing his hands against the taller man's back and pushing him forward, using him as a shield in the crowded bar.

Gabriel glanced around the bar suspiciously but everything seemed like what he would expect from a normal bar on a Friday night near the beginning of the month when people still had money to spare. Three people were serving behind the bar trying to keep up with the demanding crowds gathered in front of the counter. One was an older man with a greying beard and a stern expression on his face which made it clear that he wasn't going to put up with any shit from anyone that night, the only girl was younger, perhaps in her early twenties with long blond hair tied back in a side plait so it was out of the way, a pretty pale face and dark expressive eyes which shone with a look of cynical amusement while the last one… Gabriel's eyes widened as his thoughts came to a screeching halt in his head.

"Oh please God, just fuck me now and let me die happy." He breathed, thanking the gods above for sending him to this town and to this particular bar.

Castiel glanced at him with a raised eyebrow when he heard the comment and noticed the look which had come across Gabriel's face. He frowned, about to comment when a voice spoke to them. It was young sounding, slightly rough with an accent which sounded Texan, it was distinctly male and distinctly amused. Castiel glanced up, his eyes widening slightly when his gaze landed on the giant of a man standing in front of them. The man couldn't have been more then twenty six in age but he stood well over six foot in height, most likely nearer six foot four or five with an athletically built body to match. He was clearly a man who took care of himself. His face was handsome and he wore a pleasant expression on it. Styled brown hair fell into large hazel eyes while a wide, friendly smile showed off perfect white teeth, producing two dimples in his cheeks.

He even dressed nicely in a plain white shirt which highlighted his sun tanned skin and a pair of fitted dark jeans which looked as though they had been made for him. He had some sort necklace on but the pendant was hidden from sight by his shirt, other then that he simply wore a watch with a black leather strap.

He wasn't the type of man that Castiel went for but he knew that he was the exact type that Gabriel went for on a regular basis. Castiel sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment as he prayed for strength.

This would certainly complicate matters.

"What can I get you both this evening?" the young man asked them.

"Any chance you're still serving food here?" Castiel asked when it was clear that Gabriel was going to remain mute, clearly his brain had been short circuited at the sight of the man in front of them and was still trying to reboot itself. The man looked thoughtful, twisting his head over his shoulder so he could look at the large clock on the wall behind him. Castiel took advantage of the distraction, elbowing Gabriel hard in-between the ribs giving him a pointed look when Gabriel started in surprise, turning to him with a glare on his face.

The young man looked back at them, eye moving between them thoughtfully taking in their expression. For a moment Castiel thought he saw a flare of anger in the man's hazel eyes but it was gone before he could tell for certain, replaced instead with the same friendly expression as before.

"You've just about made it in time for food" he stated. "If you put your order in now then you'll be safe. We normally stop taking orders in twenty minutes" his eyes drifted over their features thoughtfully before he seemed to give him self a mental kick. "Have you managed to find one of our food menus to look at yet?" he asked. Castiel shook his head.

"Nope, we've just got into town about ten minutes ago; this was the first place we saw so we came here. I didn't expect it to be so packed though." Castiel explained, drumming his fingers against the wooden surface of the bar as his eyes flickered around him, taking in the crowds. He wondered whether the barman would notice if Castiel stepped on Gabriel's foot and decided that he probably would. The man appeared observant, his eyes somehow watching everything which was going on around them while still maintaining a conversation with them, or at least with Castiel.

The man laughed at Castiel's comment, the sound rich and warm as his hazel eyes sparkling in the dim bar light. Gabriel made a sound for the first time, a low almost growling noise which had Castiel reaching out and grabbing the back of his brother's shirt in his hand to stop the older man leaping over the bar. It wouldn't be the first time Gabriel had done something similar and Castiel really wanted to eat before they were thrown out and barred from the place due to Gabriel sexually assaulting a member of the bar staff.

"You can tell you aren't from around here" the man stated simply. "If you were then you would know that this is the place to go for a good time. At least according to the local papers it's got the best food, a good selection of drinks and apparently a really good atmosphere though you're gonna have to decide if it is or not yourselves. It's safe to say that I'm more then a little bias when it comes to this place." He straightened up, clearly going back into work mode. "You wait here and I'll grab you a couple of menus. When you've decided what you want just come back to the bar and flag one of us down and we'll take your order as long as it's before nine thirty. Did you want a drink or you here just for food?" he queried.

"We'll start with two bottled beers please, we aren't fussed by the brand as long as they are cold" Castiel remarked, answering the man's next question before he could ask it.

"Easy customers I see, why every one in here can't be like that I don't know, it would make our lives easier that's for sure." He turned his back to them, leaning down and pulling out two bottles of beer from the fridge behind him, he opened them and placed them on the counter in front of them. "That's gonna be five dollars, I'll be back in a second with those menus for ya and to take the money for the drinks" he commented, flashing them his bright smile again before heading down the bar.

The minute Castiel was sure he was out of hearing range he turned to his brother.

"Jesus Gabe, will you snap put of it already!" he hissed, he glanced at Gabriel's face and rolled his eyes. The dopey look and glazed eyes were sure indication that his brother was a goner already. "Stop drooling over the guy before you cause a flood and drown us all in it."

"Have you actually bothered to take a good look at him Cassie?" Gabriel demanded, meeting Castiel's eyes with a dazed look in his amber eyes, "The dude looks like he's a male supermodel or something, I mean what the hell is someone who looks like that doing in a place like this? It's just not right for him to be hidden away from the world."

"Working from the look of it" Castiel pointed out bluntly before he shrugged glancing down the bar towards the man. "I saw him and he's nice enough to look at but he's just not the type I go for Gabe as you well know." Castiel remarked, rolling his eyes when Gabriel grinned at him, rubbing his hand together in a gleeful manner.

"Well that's good; I'd hate to have to beat my own brother ass and embarrass you in front of all these people. This means that there's all the more for me."

"Yeah well not if you remain silent, in case you haven't noticed while you've been in fantasy land there are plenty of other people equally as interested in the guy as you are" he pointed out, nodded his head down the bar to where a good looking young black man was talking to the bar man, attracting his attention. Whatever he said was clearly entertaining causing the young man to laugh, tilting his head back and exposing his neck.

"That neck was born to be bitten and marked" Gabriel commented, a tone to his voice which Castiel had come to know as trouble. He thought about reminding Gabriel that they were here to do a job but he decided against it. Gabriel wasn't going to listen to any form of reason so why should Castiel waste his breathe, it would be better for everyone if Gabriel got it out of his system now rather then it growing.

"Here you go two menus for you" the man said approaching them with an amused smile lingering on his face, he handed the menus over to Gabriel who suddenly seemed to come to life. "Pick what you want and we'll get it for you, I don't think we've run out of anything today."

"Any chance that you come on the menu as well?" Gabriel asked with a wide grin. The man looked at him, his eyes skirting Gabriel's face and upper body slowly before they traveled back up and met his eyes, quirking an eyebrow as he did.

"If I was, do you think you'd be able to afford me?" he asked pleasantly. Castiel choked on his drink, nearly spitting the beer out. A glance to the side of him showed Gabriel with his mouth wide open in surprise. "Thought not, I'm Sam by the way" he said, flashing them both a smile as he took the five dollar note which Castiel was holding out for him, ringing it up on the till before he turned his attention on the two girls standing next to them waiting patiently to be served, the conversation clearly over in his mind.

"Come on Casanova" Castiel remarked, grabbing his drink with one hand and using the other one to grab hold of Gabriel's arm and drag him away from the bar and towards the back of the room, a grin threatening to break his face in half.

Witches or not, Lawrence was going to be interesting.

He could just tell.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read!  
**

**I hope you enjoyed it :)**


	2. Dean, it's the Novak brothers

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of work belong to me, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Here is the second chapter for you all and you'll be pleased to know that this chapter is the chapter where Dean makes his first appearance, I know quite a few of you were wondering where he was last chapter so hopefully this chapter will let give you the explanation which you were desiring.  
**

**There are two main plot lines to this story and these early chapters only explore the first of those plot line. It won't be until much later in the story that the second plot line will begin to be revealed. They shall then skirt around each other before merging together.**

**I do have a general idea how the story ends and of certain events which must happen for the end to come about but how exactly we reach that point is still a mystery to me. I'm very much one of those writers who allow the characters to speak to me and tell me how things are going to be rather then try and force them to do something. I find the minute I do that is the minute the story fails because suddenly it doesn't make sense anymore. So don't be surprised if you think you know the way the story is going and then boom! it's gone off in a completely different direction. It will end up in the same place once everything is done.**

**If you reviewed, Favorited or decided to follow the story after the last chapter then thank you very much. I really appreiate the comments and the support.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the previous one. :)**

Overall Summary

******Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Sam informs Dean on what happens and the boys find out who exactly is in their bar.**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of one sided Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Two

Dean, it's the Novak brothers

* * *

Sam Winchester's smile fell from his face the minute the two strangers turned away from him making their way across the room towards the back where there were still some tables free for use.

He could have punched the wall in sheer frustration, what the hell were a couple of Hunters doing here in Lawrence? Were they here for them or had something else moved into their territory that they were currently unaware of? If they were there for them then how on earth had they found them when they had both been so careful not to expose themselves?

He closed his eyes briefly, reaching out subconsciously to the mental connection he shared with his older brother and allowed the normality of it to sooth his anxiety, allowing him to think clearly for the first time since he realised the danger which had casually walked through the doors into their bar. Just because they were here it didn't mean anything, they could have just been passing through the town and decided to stop since it was getting late, it happened from time to time. No one had ever managed to track them down so far, and Sam had no reason to believe that these Hunters had managed to either.

"Bobby?" he said, calling the older man over to him once he had placed the bottle of red wine and two large wine glasses, in front of the two girls who he was serving. He flashed them a smile as he took their money which caused them to flush and giggle as they both stared at him as though he was something to order off of the menu. The thought immediately brought up the smaller man's comment, making Sam's mouth spread into a grin before he could stop himself. He had heard more then one chat up line thrown his way but never one quite as blatant as that one. Clearly the man didn't believe in either small talk or finesse.

"Yeah Sam, what do you want?" Sam finished putting the money into the till and turned his attention to Bobby Singer, keeping a smile fixed on his face as he nodded with his head towards the back of the counter, indicating that they should move over, away from people's ears. Sam was well aware that there was more then one pair of eyes watching them closely and the last thing he needed or wanted was for their regulars to realise that there was something wrong and start gossiping about it. It would get around the small town and back to the Hunters and that was the last thing Sam wanted. He needed everything to appear exactly the same as normal.

"You mind covering the place for a moment? I've got to go upstairs and speak to Dean for a second." He hesitated for a moment before he continued, his voice lower then before so the older man was forced to strain forward to catch his words. "Trouble has just walked in."

Bobby leaned back from him, his blue eyes sharpening as the meaning of Sam's words sank in. He looked passed Sam; his gaze fixing on the two men as they took their seats in one of the empty booths, the taller dark haired man looked ready to throw himself out of the window as the other one spoke to him. Sam followed Bobby's gaze wondering for a moment what the pair of them were talking about before he pushed the thought away. He needed to focus and he needed to speak to his brother and let him know what had happened as soon as possible.

"Me and Jo got everything covered down here boy" Bobby answered with a curt nod, bringing his gaze back to Sam's. "You go and warn your brother about what has happened since he's gonna want to know straight away, whatever reason they are here for Sam, we can deal with it. It's not the first time we've been forced to take care of their kind and we both know that it won't be the last time either."

Sam nodded feeling strangely reassured by the gruff words before he moved, brushing past both Bobby and Jo and hurrying out back and up the flight of stairs which would lead him towards the kitchen and Dean's domain. His brother wasn't going to be happy when Sam broke the news to him.

He pushed open the door and entered the large spotless kitchen, his gaze moving around him in search of his brother. AC/DC blasted out of the small CD player on the side which meant that Dean was somewhere in the room. He frowned slightly, stepping further into the room.

"Dean? You in here?" he called out.

"Where else would I be Sammy?"

Sam breathed out a sigh of relief when Dean appeared from behind one of the large counters, a bowl in one hand which he was whisking with a fork. Whatever it was he was making smelt delicious making Sam's mouth water in anticipation. Say what you would about Dean Winchester, the man could seriously cook. There was a moment's silence between them, both watching the other before Dean spoke.

"What's wrong?" he demanded suspiciously, his eyes narrowing as they focused on Sam's face.

"What makes you think there's anything wrong Dean? Can't a younger brother just come up once in a while to visit his big brother?" Sam asked automatically. Dean raised an eyebrow at him before he shook his head.

"No" he said bluntly. "At least not when the younger brother in question is you, if it was Adam then I could just about believe it, but this is you which means somethings happened. Jo rang up about ten minutes ago to moan about something, she made it pretty damn clear that the place was completely packed out and you were all worked off your feet barely to keep up with the demand. Now out of the blue, you appear up here, looking worried and guilty and god knows what else which points to something being wrong. What is it? Do you need help downstairs or something because if that's the case get on the phone and call up Andy or Charlie and beg them to come in to take the pressure off you guys, because I can't help you until at least ten, not with all these orders up here still needing to be completed."

"It's not that Dean; we can make do without you until ten o clock. It's busy but not to a point that we're pulling out our hair because we can't cope, I hate to break it to you but we all know what we're doing. God knows we've been doing it long enough on a daily basis." Sam assured him, walking over to the side of the room and grabbing one of the high wooden stool which had been shoved there out of the way. He carried it over to the counter that Dean was working on and dumped it on the floor. Taking a seat on it and resting his forearms against the cool metal.

"So what is it then? You can't be on your break because you never come up here when you are, you hate the kitchen remember? The last time you came up here, you made a big dramatic speech about how you're allergic to the place" Dean commented sounding distracted as the screen to the side of him beeped, flashing up a new food order for him. He groaned in annoyance, jabbing his finger at the screen as he looked up at Sam who was watching him with an amused look. "Seriously dude, I'm putting my foot down, starting from tomorrow we're stopping taking orders for food at nine o clock, none of this nine thirty bullshit any longer. This is getting stupid. I'm only one man, how the hell am I meant to keep up with all of these orders which keep coming in constantly?"

"Two Hunters have just walked into our bar Dean" Sam announced, watching as Dean's body tensed up, his head turning so he was facing Sam, his green eyes flashing in the bright light.

"Repeat that Sam" he commanded lowly. Sam swallowed, shifting uncomfortably on his seat, he hated when Dean used that tone of voice.

"Two male Hunters have just walked into the bar downstairs Dean, I don't think they knew what I was because they treated me normally, one of them even flirted with me, or attempted to flirt with me I should say" he commented pulling a face. Dean looked briefly amused by that fact before his face became serious again. Sam watched as Dean reached up and pinched his lower lip between his finger tips, pulling at it slightly as he thought.

"Are you positive they are Hunters Sam?" he asked. Sam nodded, his shoulder slumping down, relief trickling through him. Dean would know exactly how to handle this situation, he always did on the few occasions it happened and a Hunter came across their path.

"I'm positive" Sam confirmed. Dean breathed out noisily and nodded, dropping his hand from his mouth; he placed the bowl on the side and placed both palms on the counter, leaning forward and capturing Sam's gaze.

"What gave it away to you?" he asked, his gaze turning sharp when Sam hesitated over answering. "Jesus Sammy please tell me that you aren't that stupid?" Dean demanded with a groan, slapping a hand across his forehead before dropping it back on the table again. "You went and read their freaking minds didn't you? Haven't I taught you anything Sammy?"

"I didn't exactly read them Dean" Sam replied heatedly. "One of them was broadcasting his feeling and thoughts so loudly that I'm surprised a witch in another state didn't pick up on it. Its not like I went delving into there, trust me the glimpse I got from them was more then enough" Sam remarked pulling a face as he thought back to the images he had experienced. There had been so much death and blood in their memories that he wondered briefly how they managed to smile or sleep at night. Even the brief touch had made Sam feel dirty making him long for a shower so he could scrub himself clean.

"Damn it Sammy do you remember what Mum told us when we were growing up?" Dean demanded, waiting for a response. Sam remained silently, drawing a pattern on the steel surface instead. He stared down at the table when Dean reached over and covered Sam's large hand with his slightly smaller one stilling the nervous movement, Dean ducked his head down so he could catch Sam's gaze with his, he waited until Sam was looking at him before he began to speak again. "She said that if we used our magic, it would leave a trace in the air which the right Hunter would be able to detect. It's possible that those two Hunters downstairs are the kind of Hunters she was warning us about Sam. This is my fault and I promise you that I'm gonna get us out of this mess one way or another. We've come too far and are too settled now to be driven out of our home or killed by a mere human. This is our home Sam, our home turf, not theirs. They have no idea the shit they've just stepped into by coming here."

"You did the right thing Dean" Sam replied stubbornly. "And yeah I'm sorry about letting his mind penetrate my mental defences, I guess I got sloppy" he added, pulling his hand out from under his brother's grip and running it through his hair. "I didn't mean for it to happen though, the blond one was thinking- well-" his voice trailed off for a moment, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment causing Dean to give him an amused, knowing look.

"So the blond one was broadcasting exactly what he wanted to do with you in bed and you got curious and decided to investigate further? Who can really blame you for that especially if the dude is a good looking one" Dean remarked with a wide grin which made Sam roll his eyes at him.

"Yeah something like that" Sam muttered "Anyway the point is Dean that I've found out why they are here, they've come here in search of a Witch" Dean's eyes sharpened.

"Wait for a witch? You mean they think there is just the one here?" he said, Sam nodded. "That's good we can use that to our advantage. Clearly what I did sent out a ripple effect which they somehow managed to pick up on. I should have thought of that before I did it" he said shaking his head and looking angry with him self. "I'm sorry Sammy."

"Stop saying sorry" Sam stated firmly. "You said it yourself, they are only after one witch, they don't know it's us which give us the element of surprise right? They won't be expecting any of what they are gonna find here? They are well over their heads and they have no idea. "

"True" Dean remarked "Though I wish people would stop calling us witches" he grumbled, reaching out his hand towards the small supply room to the side of the kitchen. "We ain't god damn chicks after all."

A movement to the side of him caught Sam's attention and he turned towards it, watching as the salt and pepper came floating out of the cupboard, hovering over the table before they lowered themselves and settled on the surface. Dean picked them up and added them to the sauce in the bowl before he began whisking again.

Sam gave a pointed cough, waiting until Dean looked up at him before he looked down at the salt and pepper with a pointed look. Dean followed his gaze looking sheepish.

"This right here is my point. We've grown used to being left alone by the Hunters so we've grown complacent; we've got to be even more careful with Hunters inside our doors."

Sam nodded, a grin coming to his face.

"I didn't know you knew such a long word Dean and using it in the correct context, I'm so proud of you" Sam teased, his grin widening when Dean flipped him the finger.

"Bite me bitch" Dean grumbled, Sam breathed out loudly, biting down on his lower lip, his grin melting into a serious expression as he fidgeted on the stool uneasily.

"Are we going to kill them like we did the other Hunters?" he asked quietly.

Dean froze hesitating for a moment before he looked up.

"No Sam, there's no we in this. If they get too close then I'll kill then the way I killed the other ones. I'm not going to let them get either of us, understand?"

"Dean-"Sam began to say stopping when the phone in the kitchen rang, the shrill ring breaking through the tension. Dean looked away.

"Get that would you Sammy, I've got to finish off this plate of food and start the next one, I'm serious about finishing taking food orders at nine by the way" he stated as he leaned down and pulled out a perfectly cooked beef wellington from the oven. Sam sighed, pushing himself off the stool and heading to the side of the room where the phone was still ringing, he picked it up, holding it away from his ear for a moment so he could adjust to the background noise. He heard Jo's voice faintly and frowned, pressing the phone right against his ear.

"What was that Jo? You need to speak up I could barely hear you."

"I said" came the annoyed feminine voice louder this time as though she was yelling directly into the phone, knowing Jo she probably was. "You need to get back down here; your chick flick moment with Dean is over and done with. A hen party has just arrived, the bar is packed to capacity and there's a really annoying guy standing at the bar refusing to be served by anyone other then your self. I think you've picked up another admirer Sam, at least this one isn't ugly like the last one" she remarked.

"Is he a fairly short guy with blond hair and amber eyes?" Sam asked, his heart doing a strange dance in his chest.

"That would be him" she confirmed "There's something familiar about him and his brother though I can't remember where from. Anyway apparently his name is Gabriel and to be honest with you Sam you could do so much better, he's a bit of a prick, he yelled across the room to his brother about something and I thought the poor guy was going to die of embarrassment but that could be because his name is Castiel, I mean I'd be embarrassed if my name was Castiel? Anyway he wants you and I want him gone from the bar so hurry up and get your cute little ass down here boss man, do not make me enter that kitchen and drag you down there myself oh and tell Dean to get a move on, people are hungry down here."

Sam stared blankly at the wall, the sound of the dial tone in his ear. He heard Dean come up behind him and wrestle the phone out of his suddenly limp hand before he hung it back up. Sam felt a hand on his shoulder before the hand moved to cup his chin forcing it around so that Sam eyes focused on Dean's concerned face.

"Sammy what the hell is wrong with you? You look like you're about to throw up" Dean asked, his fingers tightening against Sam's skin as he gave his face a gentle shake. Sam swallowed.

"The Hunters downstairs" he said weakly, coughing. Dean nodded.

"What about them?" he asked. Sam took a deep breath.

"They've been asking for me, while they were waiting the blond one introduced himself to Jo, his name is Gabriel and his brother's name is Castiel" Sam watched as Dean's eyes widened, his breath hitching as his fingers tightened painfully on Sam's face. "Dean the Novak brothers have come for us."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read, it's much appreciated. **


	3. He's a challenge Castiel

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Here's chapter Three for you.  
**

**As you've probably gathered the chapters will jump to different points of views. It will be mainly done by Sam, Dean, Castiel and Gabriel but there will be times in future chapters where I'll use another established character instead to give a complete outsiders perspective on the growing relationships. I think this is an important thing to do to ensure that its realistic. I'll try and give warning when these shall occur but I never know who is going to take the chapter until I start writing it so I won;t be able to do it most of the time.**

**This chapter for the record is Gabriel, I'm still fairly new at writing him so hopefully I'm doing his character some justice :)**

**Anyway please enjoy :)**

Overall Summary

******Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Sam was a challenge and if there was one thing with Gabriel liked it was a challenge...  
**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Three

He's a challenge Castiel…

* * *

Gabriel breathed out noisily, ignoring the death glare he received from the blond girl behind the bar. She had tried to serve him twice now growing more frustrated each time he sent her on her way with a sarcastic comment. He was determined that he would be served by Sam or no one. He would remain standing there, having a small protest until he saw a glimpse of that gorgeous smile again. Sure he had only ten minutes left in which to order food and sure Castiel was bound to murder him in his sleep if his protest meant that they missed the last food order and went hungry but Castiel would simply need to understand that there were more important things in life other then getting food such as getting laid and finding out more about the mysterious Sam.

He slumped against the bar, wrinkling his nose up in disgust when he realised he had put his arm directly into a wet patch of what he was praying was alcohol. They seriously needed to find a Laundromat while they were in town, Gabriel was nearly out of clean clothes and what clothes he had were rumpled and barely wearable, how the hell Castiel remained looking so neat and tidy on a daily basis was beyond Gabriel's ability to understand.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he reached down, fishing it out with a bored look which quickly morphed into a grin when he realised it was from Castiel. He opened it up, a laugh escaping him as his eyes moved across the words.

_I swear to God Gabriel, if you don't order the food right now then I promise you that no one will ever find your body. Don't make me feed you to the pigs to dispose of the evidence! ORDER THE FOOD NOW!_

"Funny message or do you often start laughing to yourself when you're alone at a bar?"

Gabriel's head snapped up at the sound of the familiar Texan voice and he straightened, his discomfort and annoyance forgotten in a heartbeat as he met Sam's curious hazel eyes, a wide grin coming to his face. This was most definitely a victory to Gabriel!

"Just laughing at a text message" Gabriel answered, indicating the phone he still held in his hand. "My baby brother can be highly amusing without meaning to be especially when he's hungry." Sam's eyes slid away from his, looking towards the corner of the room where Castiel was sitting staring at a laptop in front of him with a displeased look on his face. Sam looked back to him and forced a smile on his face. He looked tenser then he did the last time he had seen him making Gabriel wonder whether something had happened to upset the other man.

"Jo rang up saying you were ready to order some food?" he said politely.

"Jo?" Gabriel replied, musing over the name for a moment before he clicked his finger. "Oh Jo, you must mean the blond she wolf over there" he commented, jerking his thumb towards Jo, who caught the motion and glanced up with a glare at Gabriel which he returned with a smile and a wave. He looked back to Sam. "Yeah she made her feelings extremely clear when she stormed away from me threatening to stick a bottle where the sun doesn't shine. It's nothing against her you see, it's just the simple fact that I prefer looking at you. If I'm spending my money here then I at least want to see the view I want to, it's only fair after all. You get my money, I get to perve and everyone goes home happy. What's not to like about that deal?"

Sam blinked at him, his mouth twitching as though he was fighting the urge to smile in response to Gabriel's comment. He ducked his head, his eyes lowering to the counter for a moment before he looked back up at Gabriel thoughtfully.

"I'll be sure to tell Jo you said that about her. She will either find it highly amusing or she'll rip your internal organs out one by one before giving your heart to Dean as a gift. She likes giving strange gifts, it certainly makes Christmas and Birthdays interesting to say the least." He remarked, a wide smile coming to his face at the name Dean. Gabriel felt his eyes narrow slightly as his stomach twisted; he breathed out slowly and forced a smile onto his face.

"She sounds like a delightful individual to know" he remarked raising his eyebrow at Sam. "And who is the fortunate Dean who will be the new owner of my heart?" he asked causally. "Jo's lucky boyfriend or is he your boyfriend perhaps Sam? Or maybe just maybe the mysterious Dean is some imaginary person she's made up in her mind? Pray tell me."

Sam stared at him for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed, shaking his head as he looked back at Gabriel, hazel eyes twinkling at him.

"I forgot for a moment that you weren't from around here. Dean is definitely not imaginary and he's most definitely not my boyfriend either, he's my older brother and he's not dating Jo either as far as I know, I don't think he has the time to date full stop." Gabriel's eyes landed on the older man thoughtfully before he looked back at Sam ignoring the feeling of relief he felt at Sam's words.

"A lot older by the look of it" Sam laughed again and this time Gabriel was pretty sure his heart stopped in his chest for a split second at the sound. Sam sounded so carefree when he laughed.

"Yeah that there would be Bobby" Sam said pointing at the older man who ignored the pair of them as though they didn't exist. "Dean won't be down here until at least ten so you'll have to wait to meet him I'm afraid. He's the chef here so he's in the kitchen making the food as we speak."

"Your brother is the chef?" Gabriel repeated, reaching up and running a hand through his hair as he whistled. "Remind me not to piss him off then, the last thing I want is to be poisoned." Sam nodded, his eyes turning serious even though the smile remained on his face.

"Trust me when I say that you don't ever want to annoy Dean," he commented lightly before coughing and changing the subject. "Anyway you have exactly two minutes and counting to place your order or you won't be getting any food from here."

"You would actually do that?" Gabriel replied in surprise. "Even though you're technically serving me?" Sam nodded tilting his head at Gabriel.

"Of course" he confirmed as though it was an obvious answer. "It's not fair on Dean and to be frank we need him down here, not in the kitchen. So what are you gonna have?"

"Well when you put it that way. I'll have the steak medium to rare with chips and a peppercorn sauce. Castiel being the health nut he is would rather have the salmon with a salad and a jacket potato" he glanced up in time to catch the uneasy expression which passed over Sam's face before he hid it.

"That's fine" he said absently, tapping something on the till in front of him before he looked back up. "Anything else I can get you?" he asked. Gabriel looked at him with a slow smile.

"You naked on a bed tonight with lots of whip cream and sweets?" he queried hopefully. Sam blinked at him before he gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Seriously do those lame chat up lines ever actually work on people?" Sam demanded, leaning forward towards Gabriel, Gabriel shrugged considering the question carefully for a moment aware of Sam's eyes fixed on him.

"Truthfully?" he asked waiting until Sam nodded. "No they don't tend to work but then again Sam they aren't actually meant to either."

"Then why bother using them?" Sam asked in confusion. Gabriel grinned

"Because the person I'm using them on won't forget me in a hurry especially if I've made them laugh, admit it Sam even after I leave to go back to my table, you'll think back to this and you'll remember what I said and you'll laugh and you'll remember me. That's the point of them. Anyway I best head back to the table. Cassie tends to get frightened when women come onto him and they come onto him a lot. He's got that whole look about him which makes people want to mother him" he flashed another grin at Sam before he turned away and forced him self to walk back across the room towards Castiel who was typing away on his laptop, a thoughtful frown on his face. Gabriel looked around, smirking when he noticed more then one pair of eyes on his brother though the other man didn't even notice the looks at all. "Serious Cassie, it's a Friday night, this is lame even by your standards and that's seriously saying something."

"I've just been looking over the local newspaper articles to see whether anything stands out to me and so far there is nothing. This town is apparently completely dead to any supernatural activity, it's kinda weird." Castiel remarked absently before he turned to look at Gabriel with a questioning look. "Did you actually order the food in time?" he asked, looking pleased when Gabriel nodded his head.

"Just in time" he said, leaning back against the chair with a sigh, his eyes focusing on the bar. He could see Sam talking to the blond girl Jo who wore an outraged expression on her face. "Well there goes my heart and internal organs, lucky Dean" he murmured to himself.

"What? Who is Dean?" Castiel asked sounding confused; Gabriel shook his head at him.

"Nothing Cassie, just a private joke between me and Sam, you wouldn't get it" he stated. Castiel rolled his eyes but let it drop.

"Did you manage to get his number while having your private jokes together?" Castiel asked, Gabriel tilted his head to the side so he could look at his brother, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Not yet" he said defensively. "You know Castiel it's been a hell of a while since you last deemed someone worthy of your time and attention. Perhaps you should work out some of your frustrations to stop you from being such an ass sometimes. Apparently Sam has a brother Dean who is the cook upstairs and-"

"I'm not interested Gabriel nor am I sexually frustrated either" he snapped ignoring the snort of disbelief which escaped Gabriel. "Not everyone is run by their dicks like you appear to be, some of us can actually rise above it and think with other parts of the body" he stated.

"Got a good relationship going with your hand then?" Gabriel responded, taking a long drink from his beer bottle, his eyes closing as the familiar feeling of alcohol hit the back of his throat.

"Besides I don't even know what this Dean looks like and neither do you, I don't have to remind you about the last person you set me up with." Castiel said after a pause ignoring Gabriel's previous comment. Gabriel turned to look at him.

"Seriously Cassie, time to let that go, it was two years ago and they had a nice smile, how was I meant to know that they had dodgy eyes" he pointed out with a shrug "Yeah I don't know what Dean looks like but if you judge him by Sam then he is no doubt a complete and utter stunner" Gabriel stated "I mean just look at Sam and I mean look at him properly" Castiel glanced up, following Gabriel's pointing finger and shrugged.

"If he looks like Sam then I'm not going to be interested, I already told you that he isn't my type" Castiel commented "There's something in the article but I'm not sure about it" Castiel stated changing the subject with a slight frown.

"What aren't you sure about?" Gabriel questioned, sounding serious for the first time as he leaned forward, pulling Castiel's lap top towards him so they could both read it.

"Well what the witch did, it doesn't seem evil. If anything she was helping people" Castiel said sounding unsure. Gabriel moved back with a shrug, reaching out and placing his hand on Castiel's shoulder, squeezing down lightly on the tense muscle.

"Look Cassie all witches are the same deep, deep down" he said seriously. "That's why we hunt them down and we kill them all because they are evil and evil has to be eradicated. You don't want any other families to go through what we went through do you?" he asked.

"Of course I don't Gabe, I get it" Castiel replied nodding his head. He pointed his finger at one of the articles. "We should probably start at the old Braeden house first, apparently something unusual happened there. The boy, Ben was dying of some disease and now he isn't, in fact he's in fantastic health now; apparently the local hospital and Doctors are completely baffled by it. It sounds to me like it could be magical" Gabriel nodded his head.

"Sounds like you're onto something there Cassie. We'll stop by their house tomorrow and have a word with them about it, it's Saturday so they are likely to be in. First things first though, I got to get me some of that somehow" Gabriel remarked indicating Sam with his beer bottle.

"You know you might have to accept the fact that he is simply not interested in you Gabe" Castiel pointed out cautiously. Gabriel placed his bottle on the table and grinned at his brother.

"Well you know me Cassie, I do love me a challenge and Sam is most definitely a challenge."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read, it's much appreciated! **


	4. Marked

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belongs to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Welcome to Chapter four  
**

**If you're still reading then yay! Thanks for sticking with it.**

**The below chapter is the first time that Castiel and Dean meet face to face and it's also the chapter when the main portion of plot one kicks off so it's a fairly important chapter in the scales of things.**

**I hope you enjoy it :)**

Overall Summary

******Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**One moment of thoughtlessness and stupidity is all it can take to change everything...  
**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Four

Marked

* * *

Sam was clock watching.

It was a rare for him to do while he was working at the bar because he quite frankly liked his job and he normally looked forward to working his shifts, sure it wasn't being the lawyer which he was qualified to be but he severely doubted whether being a lawyer would be quite as much fun. He got to socialise with several different types of people, he got to work with his two brothers and with people who had slowly become like family to him. He got to sleep in each morning for as long as he wanted unless he was on delivery duty and people confided in him, trusting him with their deepest, darkest secrets. People talked and Sam always listened.

At least that was what normally happened. There were always extremes to the rule.

Take Gabriel Novak for example, the older man had been up to the bar a total of three times now, each time alone and each time he would refuse to be served by anyone other then Sam. Even Jo's hissed threat of tying him up and physically throwing him out of the bar, a plan which Bobby who had overheard the conversation seemed to seriously consider for a moment, made no impact on the man. He merely had raised an eyebrow at her and made a witty comment and continued to wait for Sam to be ready to take his order.

If Sam didn't know who Gabriel was or the fact that the man and his brother were most likely here to hunt and kill Sam and Dean then he would have been almost flattered by Gabriel's determination and constant attention. The man was certainly attractive enough to look at and he seemed to ooze charisma. Sam had seen plenty of other patrons staring at him in admiration, some of them had even been brave enough to attempt a conversation with him but each and every time he had either ignored them or shot them down, sending them on their way. Each and every time those strange amber coloured eyes had been fixed on him with a look of promise which made it perfectly clear that the thoughts and images running through Gabriel's head were anything but clean.

What Sam wanted to do more then anything was to read his mind and see what he had planned but he didn't dare, not with Dean's warning still floating around his head.

The minute Sam started serving him, Gabriel would start talking, his topics varied and interesting designed to drag Sam into them, Sam wasn't stupid though, he was clever and sharp enough to realise that beneath all the conversation Gabriel was trying to probe him, clearly trying to find out as much about Sam and his past as he could without it becoming obvious. Sam refused to allow that to happen keeping the banter light and general. He couldn't afford to forget who Gabriel was for even a split second, not when he had Dean's safety to consider as well.

Then of course there was the type of person like Castiel Novak who was the polar opposite of his talkative older brother. The man stood in front of him watching him with observant eyes, ordering his and Gabriel's drinks and remaining silent. Sam had tried to start a conversation with him, desperate to appear normal and not show how much Castiel was unnerving him but Castiel refused to help him out, he would simply tilt his head to one side and fix Sam with a look which looked pitying before he looked away, scanning the place as though he was searching for someone in the crowds.

Hence the reason why Sam was clock watching in the first place.

He was waiting impatiently in front of Castiel for Bobby to finish changing the barrel because the sooner the barrel was changed, the sooner he could pour these beers and the sooner that Castiel and his watchful eyes would be gone away from Sam.

Sam would rather deal with someone like Gabriel any day, at least he had a vague understanding on where he stood with the blond.

He dragged his eyes away from the clock and forced a smile onto his face, speaking and attracting Castiel gaze from staring around the room to him.

"It shouldn't take much longer for your drinks" he said indicating the two empty pint glasses he held in his hands. "Bobby is just changing the barrel now. Are you sure you don't want another kind of beer instead? It would be a lot quicker then you having to wait around for this one" he asked, cursing inside his head when Castiel shook his head at him.

"I don't mind waiting" he commented. Sam frowned slightly at the sound of his voice. It was a strange voice, all deep and gruff as if Castiel smoked at least twenty packs of fags a day and yet Sam hadn't seen him and Gabriel leave the bar once since they arrived which pointed to them both being non smokers.

"Dean! It's about freaking time you got your pretty little ass down here, we were going to send a search party upstairs for you if you hadn't had appeared within the next five minutes, what the hell took you so long? You're normally down here by ten, it's like twenty past."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Jo's voice and glanced over his shoulder to see his brother emerge from the back, a grin on his face as he reached out and rested his hand on Jo's shoulder saying something quietly to her which made her laugh as she blew his brother a kiss over her shoulder.

"Hey Dean" Sam called, a wide grin coming across his face when Dean finished greeting Bobby and walked over to him, placing his hand lightly on Sam's shoulder blade in greeting as his eyes moved around the packed bar, a pleased look on his face. "You all good? Are you done with upstairs for the night now?" he asked.

"Yep, the kitchen is sparkling like brand new" Dean replied absently removing his hand from Sam's back and crossing his hands over his chest instead. "I dropped some peppercorn sauce on me so I had to change my shirt, no biggie or anything" he explained answering Sam's unasked question on where he had been. Sam opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Castiel spoke.

"You are the cook?" Sam watched Dean drag his eyes from crowd watching to focus his attention on Castiel. He stared in surprise when Dean's eyes widened at the sight of Castiel, his mouth falling open slightly before a crooked smile came to his face, the same smile that never failed to make Dean look like a super model who belonged in a magazine or one television.

"That would be me" he replied. Sam watched horrified as Castiel stared intently at Dean as though he was committing his brother's face to his memory, a small smile slowly coming to his mouth as his eyes drifted over Dean's features lingering on his brother's eyes and lips, a heated look coming to the his gaze. Sam almost groaned at loud at the sudden tension he could feel which sprung up between the two men. This seriously couldn't get any worse if it tried.

"I had the salmon" Castiel now said, his voice lower then before, sounding husky as he leaned forward on the bar, his eyes meeting Dean as though everyone else in the bar, Sam included, had simply disappeared leaving just the pair of them in their own little world. "It was delicious, you can certainly cook well" Sam bit the inside of his lip as his brother preened under the praise, the smile on his face widening.

"Well thanks man, I'm glad you liked it" Dean announced. "I'm Dean by the way, it's always good to meet someone who appreciates my cooking skill." He said with a laugh as he uncrossed his arms and held his hand over the bar towards Castiel. Sam wanted to rugby tackle Dean to the floor to stop him from touching the Hunter's hand but there was nothing he could do except to shout a sharp warning in his mind to Dean through their connection and watch helplessly as Castiel's hand curled around Dean's before Dean could yank his hand away. He heard his brother's breath hitch suddenly as though he was in physical pain and shot him a quick concerned look surprised when Dean immediately pulled his hand back from Castiel, wiping it against the side of his jeans, before cradling it with his other hand as though it was injured.

Sam glanced down at his brother's hand, his eyes widening as he took in the glowing bright blue mark in the center of Dean's palm.

Oh holy shit no, not that, anything but that.

This couldn't be happening, not to Dean, Sam wouldn't allow it. he couldn't allow it.

"I'm Castiel; it's a pleasure to meet you Dean."

Sam gave up trying to be subtle, banging the pint glasses on the counter and glaring fiercely at Castiel who looked surprised at the look he was receiving.

"I'm going to go check on that beer and see what's taking so long" he growled. "Dean come with me, I could use your help with it." He grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him out back, automatically reaching for Dean's injured right hand once they were out of sight of everyone in the bar.

Dean looked stunned and almost frightened as he let Sam lift his hand up and stare at it under the bright light. There was a small mark on the palm of Dean's right hand; something small which only people possessing magical powers would be able to see. A small mark of a C merged with a D lit up in bright blue as though it has been written in bright blue ink. A colour which Sam realised with a sinking feeling was the exact same colour as Castiel's eyes.

Sam swallowed before he looked up slowly.

"Dean" he said, his voice full of disbelief and fear. "The bastard has marked you."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read and an even bigger thanks if you've taken this point to review or favourite or follow. It's always a good thing to see :)**


	5. Keep calm and act normal

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Here is the next chapter for you.  
**

**I would wager a guess that this chapter is also very important to read. There are plenty of little hints within it that the Winchester brothers are much more then they might at first appeared to be, especially when it comes to Dean. I have great plans in this story for Dean because in my eyes he deserves it.**

**It will be equal though, Sam has his own separate storyline which will be explored as well as the ones he clearly has with Dean and with the Novak brothers.**

**Just in case you were wondering both Jo and Bobby are two of the characters I mentioned in a previous Author Note who will have a significant part to play throughout the story so you can expect things from them though of course I can't say exactly what those things will be yet. I don't want to spoil it for you all :)**

**Anyway please enjoy!**

Overall Summary

******Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Dean doesn't have the luxury of falling apart, he needs to keep it together for everyone else and he'll be damned if he doesn't do that...  
**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Five

Keep calm and act normal

* * *

Dean felt physically sick, the corridor spinning violently around him as his palm continued to throb and tingle, burning him as though his skin was actually on fire.

His mind was reeling from what had happened out there in the bar. There had to be a mistake, Dean couldn't have been marked by Castiel; it was an impossibility which all the ancient texts agreed on.

A magical being could not be marked and claimed by a non magical entity.

Especially not a magical being like Dean Winchester was. It was impossible.

And yet the proof that it was possible was clear on his palm. Castiel Novak had marked Dean and now Dean was completely screwed and worse he it meant he was likely to die; he was already a dead man walking. If he died then who would look after his brother? Who would keep the Hunters away from them? Who would protect the people he was charged with protecting? If Sam knew some of the things which Dean did to keep them safe then he would be horrified that Dean was placing himself in so much danger for them all but Dean saw it all as a necessary risk he had to take. He had to protect his brother and yet he had now placed him in more danger then the pair of them had faced in centuries.

How could Dean have been so stupid in offering his hand to a stranger, a stranger who had the reputation which Castiel had. It should never have allowed his judgement to fail him just because of a pair of striking blue eyes which had looked at him as though he was the most beautiful creature which Castiel had seen. The other man wouldn't hesitate to kill Dean and Sam once he found out who they really were, hell he would probably enjoy doing it and yet he had still been unable to resist touching him.

And because of that failure to curb the impulse Sam was next in line which meant that his brother was now in serious danger of being marked as well.

There had to be something in the books which would show Dean a way to get out of this mess, he would be willing to do anything to escape the marking. If he could resist the pull which was already growing in him, if he could make sure that he didn't give into his desires or instincts then perhaps there could be a chance of reversing it. The Goddesses couldn't do this to him, they couldn't be so cruel to him, not after everything Dean had given up and done in their name. Not when Dean was meant to be one of the chosen ones.

"Dean, look at me, you have to breath" Dean could vaguely hear the sound of Sam's voice speaking to him, but it sounded far away and he could barely make out the words over the roaring in his ears and the pounding of his heart in his chest. He realised in surprise that he was gasping for breath, his chest hurting from the effort as his sight began to blacken around the edges of his vision.

One rough hand curled around his neck, while the other reached down, gripping his wrist and placing his palm directly over a steady beating heart

"Stay with me Dean, just focus on breathing, follow the rhythm of my heart, and follow my breathing pattern, Don't you dare fucking leave me now, not after all this time and definitely not after everything we've been through, we've still got so much left to do yet; you can't leave me alone here. Come back!"

Sam's tone was demanding and fierce, Dean focused on it, hearing the fear in his brother's voice. He didn't want Sam to be afraid of anything, not while he was still around to protect him. Sam must have known that Dean would do whatever it took to keep them safe from all danger. He matched his breathing to Sam's, his vision slowly coming back to him allowing him to lock on to Sam's worried hazel eyes. His heart pace steadied as his hearing came back allowing him to hear everything.

He became aware of the fact that Sam's hands were still gripping his neck and wrist tightly as though he was afraid that if he lessened the hold then Dean would be gone, his face felt cold and clammy where the sweat had slowly dried. He felt shaky but he pushed the feeling away, dropping his hand from Sam's wrist wondering when he had reached out to touch his brother.

His mind steadied though one thought kept swirling around threatening to shake his barely won composure.

How could Castiel Novak be his chosen?

How could it be a man who ruthlessly hunted Dean's kind without any sign of remorse? Castiel and his brother were the same as so many others humans Dean had met during his long life span, men and women who wanted to wipe magical beings from the face of the planet because they thought it was the right thing to do, Humans who had made so many magical species extinct because they misguidedly believed that anything which was more then human was wrong and evil and therefore had to be wiped out for the good of humanity. That was the equivalent of placing all humans together in one category and wiping them out because some of them were born capable of doing evil deeds. Castiel and Gabriel Novak had come to Dean's town with one goal and one goal only.

To find a witch in Lawrence and destroy it.

Dean couldn't allow anything to derail him from protecting Sam and those in his care the same way he had always protected them. Not even the mark on his palm or the arrival of his chosen one after all this time. Dean needed to stamp out the desire he felt for the man before it ruined everything he had spent centuries working towards. Beside he didn't even know whether Castiel would be affected by what had happened between them, could a plain human even feel the bond? Dean hoped the answer was no, it would make it easier to deal with and ignore if that was the case.

"Are you finally back with me Dean?" Sam asked quietly, the hand on Dean's neck tightening its grip. Dean nodded forcing a smile onto his face as he pulled his palm away from Sam's chest thankful when his brother released his grip on Dean's wrist. Dean was just glad that the mark on his palm hadn't come into direct contact with Sam's bare skin. Dean didn't want it touching his brother and possibly contaminating him.

"I'm back Sam" he stated, rubbing his palm against the rough material of his jeans, it felt burning hot and was throbbing, the friction of the movement caused his face to flush at the burst of pleasure which went through him nearly dropping him to his knees, his mouth falling opening in a silent gasp. He stopped the movement instantly, ignoring the shaky feeling as he swallowed deeply.

"We're going to figure all this shit out Dean and we're going to get rid of it somehow. He's not worthy to be your chosen and I'm not going to sacrifice you to him either, ancient magic or not" Sam stated angrily, jerking his head towards the door leading to the bar with a savage look on his face which Dean hadn't seen on Sam before. Sam was normally the diplomatic one of the pair of them, the one who would do the talking for them both if the situation called for it. Dean was normally the violent one. For a second Dean almost felt sorry for Castiel.

"Yeah" he said slowly before he reached up and ran his hand through his hair. "You better be careful about who you touch now Sam" Dean warned his brother. "You know the way this mark business works and the way it makes its way through families from eldest to youngest. You'll be next and then it will be Adam's turn."

Sam nodded, biting down on his lip, a worried expression coming to his face. Dean placed his left hand on Sam's shoulder giving the muscles beneath his grip a squeeze of comfort. "Hey don't do that thing you do when you over think things and end up freaking out. we'll figure something out Sammy, we always do, I mean lets be honest it's not as though we are without our own talents and powers, if anyone can figure it out then it's the Winchester brothers right." he said softly before dropping his hand from his brother's shoulder. "You go downstairs and check on Bobby and see what's taking him so long to change that damn barrel. I'm going to go back out front and start serving the customers before Jo self combusts on the spot taking us all down with her. I'm kinda fond of this place; I don't want it ended because of a temper tantrum." He remarked with a half smile.

A look of alarm came to Sam's face.

"Dean if-"

"I'm not going to hide out back here like some wounded scared child Sam" Dean interrupted angrily, his eyes flashing in the light, he forced himself to calm down before he brought the building down on them all. "We're going to sort this out but we need to be logical about this. If I don't get out there and start serving them people are going to start wondering if something is wrong and then they are going to start talking and talk is the one thing we don't want right now. We have to play it cool and act normally okay? I have responsibilities Sam, I'm not gonna abandon them because the shit has hit the fan, if anything I'll be needed more now" he stated reaching up and resting the heel of his hands against his eyes for a moment before he dropped them and met Sam's gaze again. "Don't make me pull rank on you Sammy because I will if that's what it takes to make you listen to me." He remarked with a tired sigh.

Sam's eyes flickered over his features before he sighed noisily, running his hand down his face as he finally let go of Dean's neck and took a step back from him.

"Fine go out there then and do whatever it is you have to do Dean" Sam said flatly with a shrug. "But I'm warning you now that you're not gonna serve Castiel or his brother again, hell Dean I'm not even going to allow that dickhead to get within twenty yards of you, not until we know more about the effects and repercussions of you being marked anyway" he threatened. "I'll serve him or one of the other two but not you. Promise me Dean or so help me god I'll knock you the hell out right now and throw you in the basement, locking you in until it's closing time." Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother's threat and thought briefly about arguing but pushed the notion away. He couldn't exactly blame his brother for freaking out or acting protective, not when he knew that he would be doing the same thing him self.

"Trust me Sam, I've got no desire to go near Castiel again" he said with a roll of his eyes. He gave Sam a reassuring smile before he turned and walked back out into the bar area, his eyes moving around him lazily. The first thing he noticed was Castiel, still waiting for his drinks, bright blue eyes focusing on him the minute he appeared. The heat and desire in the gaze made Dean squirm under the look, his palm heating up until it made him want to plunge his hand into the bowl of ice they kept on the side.

He nervously licked his lips aware of Castiel's eyes dropping down from his eyes to follow the movement. He risked a glance in time to see another man, older then Castiel by a year or small, smaller in height come up to the other man's side, a bored look planted on his face as he leaned against the bar. Dean wondered whether the man was Gabriel. A slight sense of relief came through him, if worse came to worse he could easily take out Gabriel, he had taken much bigger fish in his time then the Novak brothers. The only complication was Castiel, Castiel who he couldn't use his powers against anymore, hell he couldn't even punch him if it came down to it. The mark would prevent it at all times.

Turning away from them both, Dean forced a smile onto his face, flashing it at the row of people waiting to be served before he went up to Jo, touching her lightly on her lower back to gain her attention. A burst of possessive rage echoed through him sharply, catching him completely unaware. He hissed quietly, quickly dropping his hand from her back, unable to resist a quick look back at Castiel to see him glaring at the pair of him, his eyes darkened with emotions. Dean bit the inside of his mouth, turning back to Jo. He had read about this happening in the ancient texts, the marked being able to experience the emotions of the dominant marker.

"Jo" Dean said, trying to ignore his growing unease, a part of him wanted to move over to Castiel and simply touch him, easing the ache which was slowly growing in him but he didn't dare do anything to encourage the bond, he could deal with some discomfort. Jo turned around to him; a smile coming to her face as she quickly looked him up and down with a look of appreciation in her dark eyes before they met his with a friendly look.

"What's up big boss man" she asked him, placing a beer on the counter top, her attention flickering to the man she had been serving. "That's two dollars eighty hon" she stated, taking his money and quickly handing him with change before turning her full attention back to Dean with a questioning look.

"Those two men over there" he said, indicating Castiel and the other man with his head. "I'd like you to finish serving them for Sam while he's in the basement with Bobby getting a barrel sorted out." Jo followed his look, shaking her head as a stormy look came to her face.

"No freaking way Dean" she stated glaring up at him. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to waste my time and try and serve them" she went on to explain obviously seeing Dean's surprised expression. Jo had never refused to serve anyone Dean had asked her to before. "Reason number one – The blond dick Gabriel refuses to be served by anyone who isn't a six foot four male model with floppy brown hair and reason number two is the fact that they freak me the hell out Dean, they are giving off this seriously weird vibe and I want nothing to do with it or them, I'd rather you threw the pair of them out and bar their asses from stepping foot in this place again. I can tell they are Hunters and we don't need Hunters like them in our midst with us. You know what they would do to us Dean if they knew what we were. What they would do to you if they knew who you really were?"

"I wouldn't let them get anywhere near you or Bobby or Sam Jo" he stated calmly, reaching out and placing his hands on both her shoulders ignoring the jealousy he suddenly felt. Castiel could stick his jealousy up his ass as far as Dean was concerned. His friend needed comforting and he was damn well going to comfort her. "And I'm not going anyway either so you don't need to worry about that. Just serve them for me, if they still refuse to be served by you then I'll come over and warn them that they'll be served by whoever comes to serve them. If they piss around after that then I'll bar them and send Bobby to deal with them, it's been a while since he's had to throw anyone out, and I think he misses it. I swear to you Jo that they can't and won't be able touch you here, not while I'm still breathing anyway."

Jo went to speak before she stopped, her eyes moving to the hand on her shoulder.

"Why is your palm burning Dean?" she demanded, reaching out and grabbing it, turning the hand over so she could see his palm. Her breath sucked in.

"C?" she stated in disbelief, her eyes moving past him to look at Castiel, "Wait C as in C for Castiel?" she demanded, Dean shrugged. "That fucking bastard, I'll fucking kill him myself for this." she hissed angrily, her fingers tightening against his skin "Mum will destroy them for this if she finds out that a mere human has marked you, this will change everything won't it Dean?" she said, shaking her head, her hand stroking the back of Dean's hand trying desperately to comfort him.

"You killing Castiel might just bring some attention down on us which we could probably do without right about now Jo" he said with a half smile. "We just need to play it cool and act normal until we sort this out. You and Bobby are under my protection remember, that's no small thing especially in our world." He said pulling his hand back from her grip. "Just go and serve them okay, the sooner we do, the sooner they will be away from the bar."

Jo sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as she nodded.

"Fine" she said throwing her hands up in the air "But I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions, one word from the blond and I'll be decking him Dean, you have my word on that." She stated, sweeping past him and heading over to the Novak brothers who both turned to her when she stopped in front of them with identical displeased looks.

Dean looked over his shoulder towards the clock and sighed. Only four hours until the bar closed and Dean would be free to think and plan.

He swallowed, his eyes moving against his will to meet Castiel's. The other man was ignoring Jo who appeared to be arguing with Gabriel to stare at Dean thoughtfully.

Unable to resist the impulse Dean pressed down on his mark, watching from the corner of his eyes as Castiel suddenly gripped the side of the bar, his eyes widening as his mouth fell open, a look of surprise on his face.

Dean swallowed, focusing on serving.

God he was in so much trouble.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read, it's much appreciated! **


	6. Get a grip Castiel

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form; I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Here's chapter six, ready and raring to go.  
**

**I know there has been some confusion about what it means now that Castiel has marked Dean and I promise that you shall receive your answers though they will be littered throughout the chapter. Think of yourselves as Castiel for the moment, as he learns what it means so will you. Sam and Dean of course know what it means but they aren't going to be revealing their cards quite yet. The same way they aren't revealing exactly what they are in the overall scale of things.**

**Hopefully the below chapter will make up for the confusion because if you're confused then just imagine what Castiel is feeling considering he's marked or rather done the marking and yet has no idea what it means, what's been done or even that it's been done. I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't want to be in his position at the moment... though I could think of worse things then marking Dean lol :)**

**Anyway please enjoy!**

Overall Summary

******Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Castiel begins to feel the affects of the mark.**

Overall Romances

**Castiel Novak /Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak /Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak /Dean Winchester (In a joking fashion)**

* * *

Chapter Six

Get a grip Castiel

* * *

Castiel couldn't take his eyes off of Dean.

The man was stunning with his light brown hair and piercing green eyes which were set off perfectly by his sun tanned skin. He was completely the type of man who Castiel went after, blowing every other man and woman off the map as far as he was concerned, even Sam's good looks paled in his eyes when they were compared directly to Dean's. Castiel could have stared into his face for eternity and still found new things about it to intrigue him.

God he wanted to walk over to him, reaching across the bar and simply touch him, he could barely fight the impulse growing steadily inside him. He didn't understand why he wanted to be near Dean so much only that it felt like a compulsion to him, a desire that was slowly taking over, destroying his ability to think clearly. He wanted to feel that warm, smooth looking skin beneath his hands and mouth. He wanted to claim the man as his own so that everyone would look at Dean and know that he was off the market, that he belonged solely to Castiel and always would because as far as Castiel was concerned Dean was now his. It was just a matter of wooing and seducing the other man and if there was one thing Castiel was good at it was seducing people once he had set his mind on it.

"Have you even been listened to a word that I've been saying to you for the past five minutes Cassie because it certainly looks like you haven't been!" Gabriel complained from next to him, digging his elbow hard into Castiel's side. Castiel turned his head, forcing himself to look away from studying Dean's mouth so he could meet Gabriel's amused look, the look which didn't reflect in his watchful eyes. Castiel frowned in annoyance at the interruption.

"What is it?" he demanded, watching as Gabriel rolled his eyes with a sigh before he reached up and threw his arm around Castiel's shoulders, he peered past Castiel to look at Dean, a look of appreciation coming to his eyes as he silently whistled. Castiel felt his eyes twitch as he reminded himself that Gabriel was his brother and he loved him and that he would probably have been sad if he killed him in a fit of jealous rage.

"So that is the famous older brother of Sam is it?" he asked curiously, turning his attention back to Castiel. "Still not interested in having him or is it more a case that now you've actually seen him, you want him and are coming up with a cunning plan to jump his bones?" he queried lightly. "The pair of them are quite the good looking twosome aren't they? Maybe there's something in the water in this part of the country which makes the men look like supermodels?"

Castiel turned away from Gabriel without bothering to answer the question, his gaze automatically finding Dean again. The younger man was leaning against the bar, talking to two older men in their thirties on the other side. Whatever the conversation was it was clearly amusing if Dean's wide grin was anything to go by. Castiel watched when Dean threw his head back and laugh. The sound rich and deep, sending a chill down Castiel's spine making him shiver in reaction. He sucked a breath in wanting desperately for the sound to continue.

Castiel shifted awkwardly on the spot, wondering where all the jealousy and possessiveness he was experiencing had come from, he was normally a reasonable man living by the simple philosophy that if the person he was after wasn't interested in him then it was their loss but that wasn't even an option when it came to Dean. He was determined that Dean would be his, Castiel wanted his full attention all the time, he didn't want those green eyes to focus on anything other then him self when he was around.

He reached up and rubbed at his temple as his head gave a sharp throb of pain. The last thing he needed or wanted was a headache now, not when he had plans to come up with.

He watched as Dean suddenly stiffened turning wide startled eyes to look at him. Castiel stared back at him unable to look away from him; there was literally nothing else in the world to him at that moment in time other then Dean and his green eyes, he absently rubbed his thumb against his palm surprised to feel how warm it felt beneath his touch. He watched intrigued as a flush came to Dean's cheek making small freckles stand out as his eyes fluttered shut for a moment, dark lashes making a crescent against the pink cheeks before he reopened them looking dazed.

Castiel swallowed hard, God if this was what Dean looked like now when he was fully clothed then what the hell would he look like naked in bed beneath him.

Without thinking Castiel pressed down hard on his tingling palm, his nails digging into the flesh, his eyes widening when he saw Dean suddenly jerk, almost dropping the pint glass he held in his hand. The younger man had reacted as though someone had just touched him and yet there was no one near Dean on his side of the bar. The blond girl Jo was further down fully occupied with serving and taking money from the customers while Sam and the older man still hadn't returned from wherever it was they had disappeared to.

What exactly was Dean reacting to?

Castiel blinked when Sam suddenly came out from the back, purposefully stepping in between Castiel and his brother blocking Dean from Castiel's view. Castiel eyes narrowed as he felt a flicker of rage grow in him. He wanted to banish Sam from existence for interfering. He tried to calm him self reminding him self that Sam was just standing there but it didn't seem to help. He glared at the younger man surprised when Sam turned and glared back at him, an enraged look in his hazel eyes which turned them almost black in the light. Castiel stared back startled at the sudden change in the pleasant man from earlier. Sam looked as though he wanted to rip Castiel's head off, slowly and painfully.

"Whoa, what the hell did you do piss him off so badly, You've only been up here once" Gabriel started in disbelief from beside him catching the look on Sam's face before the other man turned away from them to look at Dean, placing his hand on Dean's shoulder as he said something to him. Gabriel turned his attention back to Castiel who was watching the scene in front of him with a torn expression. "Seriously what did you do? Try and grope the older brother in front of Sam? Because that might not be such a good idea considering how protective they seem to be of each other. Sam certainly didn't look like when he was serving me earlier so come on Cassie spill, what did you do? I'm highly intrigued now."

"Can't you just shut up for once Gabriel" Castiel snapped. There was a moment's silence between them before Gabriel broke it.

"Okay, I think you've had enough drink for one night. It's time for us to go" he remarked lightly, a hint of steel beneath his usual amused tone; he reached out and wrapped his hand around Castiel's elbow and gave it a sharp tug. "We can come back here tomorrow when tensions aren't quite so high. Sam looks ready to explode and I'd rather we weren't here when he did."

"I don't want to leave I-"Castiel began, stopping when Gabriel interrupted him, a hard tone to his voice which had been lacking before.

"We have a job to do in this town Castiel" Gabriel stated flatly, his fingers tightening on Castiel's elbow in a way which would probably cause his skin to bruise. "A job which will be easy to finish if we can come back into this bar again tomorrow evening without having our asses handed to us by two pissed off pretty boys who actually look like they know how to fight and how to fucking win. This seems to be the place to be in this town so it's likely that the witch will be here as well, blending into the crowd. I'm not going to be barred because you've managed to anger one of the owners. So we are going to smile and wave goodbye to them and then we are going to walk out of here as if we've noticed nothing. Do you understand what I'm telling you Castiel or would you like me to repeat it to you one more time before I drag you out of here?"

Castiel stared at Gabriel wanting to argue the point but after a glance into the sharp amber eyes glaring at him he gave in, shrugging as he allowed Gabriel to pull him away from the counter and towards the exit. He glanced back once to see both Dean and Sam looking after them with identical blank looks which revealed nothing about what they were thinking before he was shoved roughly through the door and into the sharp cold air causing him to shiver.

He blinked, looking around him as he breathed in deeply feeling as though he was coming out of a haze.

"So do you care to explain to me what the hell happened in there?" Gabriel demanded, shoving Castiel's laptop and bag into his arms before he walked past him and headed towards the lit up motel sign which was hanging haphazardly at the bottom of the long street where the bar was situated. He glanced back over his shoulder at Castiel clearly expecting Castiel to follow him and to answer his question.

"I – I don't know" Castiel admitted quietly, his thumb lightly stroking his palm.

"Because don't get me wrong I've seen you want to get into guys pants before Cassie but never quite so aggressively. You looked as though you were ready to leap over the bar and ravish Dean where he stood, a ploy which only I tend to use if you remember? You certainly don't use it Cassie. You tend to go for the whole subtle seduction routes remember. You always want them to be gagging for you by the end of it, so what's so different this time around huh? You took one look at Dean's pretty face and decided that you needed him so much that you couldn't wait?" he asked curiously.

"No- He's just-" Castiel waved his free hand in the air before he shrugged feeling a shot of longing go through him as he remembered Dean's wide green eyes looking back at him, Dean had wanted him back, he knew it. His palm throbbed at the thought causing him to frown. He peered down at it in the street light but it looked completely normal, smooth and unmarked and yet Castiel couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with it.

"Just what? Gorgeous, stunning, pretty damn beautiful in a strangely masculine way. Yeah I picked up on that. Dude isn't quite as beautiful as Sam is but I certainly wouldn't kick him out of bed in the morning if he ended up there" Castiel's head snapped round, a murderous look coming to his eyes which had Gabriel raising his hands defensively with a confused look."Whoa easy there tiger" he soothed.

"Dean is mine Gabriel, understood? You will not go for him, you will not touch him or I'll fucking end you myself, brother or no brother." Castiel stated angrily watching as Gabriel raised his eyebrow shooting Castiel a look of extreme concern.

"Yeah if you say so Cassie" he replied slowly as though he was talking to a wild animal. "I got it, no touching Dean, that's not gonna be a problem." Gabriel reassured him before he frowned "Just how much did you have to drink in the bar again? Were you doing shots at the counter when I wasn't looking because you know you can't handle your alcohol that well especially when shots are involved in the equation."

"No I wasn't" Castiel said lowly, following his brother though the door and into the motel reception area. He watched distractedly as Gabriel spoke to the woman behind the counter securing them a room with twin beds in it.

He rubbed at his forehead, he couldn't seem to focus his thoughts, and all he wanted to do was to turn around, head straight back into that bar, grab Dean and take them somewhere where they couldn't be disturbed by anyone.

"Come on Bro, its time to sleep off whatever it is which is bothering you" Gabriel remarked clapping his hand down on Castiel's shoulder. "We're in room number eleven."

Castiel nodded and followed Gabriel into the room taking a quick look around him. It was surprisingly nice considering the location. The walls were pale yellow and the bed looked comfortable. He went through his nightly routine, ignoring Gabriel's chatter before he sank into the mattress, staring up and the ceiling, his mind full of green eyes, a wide smile and sun tanned golden skin.

He groaned lifting his hand to his face, pressing his mouth against his palm without conscious thought.

What the hell was wrong with him?

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read, it's much appreciated! **


	7. At the Braedens

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

* * *

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Here is chapter Seven!  
**

**The story is coming along quite nicely in my view, another aspect to the story is added in this chapter and the following chapter so it be interesting to see whether anyone picks up on it in this one... there's no point saying the next thing in the next chapter because then you'll no for definite lol:)**

**Anyway I hope you enjoy it!**

Overall Summary  


**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Gabriel and Castiel visit the old Braeden House…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester, Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romance

**Suggested Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester, Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Seven

At the Braedens

* * *

Gabriel sighed silently, tapping his fingers lightly against the steering wheel in a random beat as he pulled up outside the old Braeden house and raised his eyebrow. He wondered vaguely whether the name was meant to be ironic because as far as he could see the old Braeden house was actually brand new, it was well cared for, freshly painted a pleasant cream colour while the windows gleamed brightly in the early morning sunlight. Even the front garden looked healthy and well tended. Someone had clearly put a lot of effort into making this place visually pleasing to look at.

Still however nice it was Gabriel has still seen better places. He had been old enough to remember every detail of their old house before they had been forced to move and the memories of what it had looked like placed this house to shame. His hands tightened on the steering wheels as dark memories threatened to suck him in. He breathed out deeply, forcing his fingers to relax before he turned to look at his brother, biting the inside of his lip trying to hide his concern.

Castiel looked terrible; his face was so pale it almost looked ghostly white making his dark stubble stand out even more, his blue eyes looked heavy and bloodshot while his dark hair stuck up on end as though he had been dragged through a hedge on multiple occasions while he had been asleep. Everything about him screamed exhaustion and yet he had been fast asleep when Gabriel had woken up during the night, dragged out of his slumber by yet another nightmare.

"You look a state Cassie; did you sleep badly or something?" Gabriel demanded bluntly, breaking the silence which had lasted the entire trip. "Because I've got to tell you, I slept like a log having nothing but dirty dreams all night about Sam. Those mattresses were pretty damn comfortable compared to some of the crap we've been forced to sleep on in the past and hell it sure beat sleeping in here" he remarked, slapping his hand lightly against the dash board. He raised an eyebrow when Castiel shrugged his shoulders, his thumb absently rubbing at the centre of his palm the same way he had been doing since he woke up. Gabriel had demanded to look at it after the third time but he couldn't see anything wrong with it under the light.

"I slept fine Gabriel" Castiel replied gruffly after a slight pause.

"Right" Gabriel responded drawing the word out knowing how much it annoyed his brother when he did. "I believe you I really do. I mean anyone looking at you can see how refreshed and happy you are, there's no way you resemble an extra from the evil dead movies. None at all" he smiled brightly at Castiel when the other man turned his head away from staring at the passenger window to glare at him in annoyance.

"Don't we have a job to do or would you rather we sit here and have a pointless conversation about a topic you keep skirting over because personally I'd rather get on with the interview" Castiel remarked, crossing his arms against his chest while he waited for Gabriel to answer him. Gabriel shrugged.

"You know what they say Cassie, all work and no play makes Cassie a grumpy git with a stick shoved up his ass, but you're right lets go and speak to the Braeden family and see what secrets they can reveal to us so we can decide where to head to next."

"Dick" Castiel muttered under his breathe before he opened the door and climbed out, slamming it shut before Gabriel even had time to undo his seat belt.

"Today is going to be so much fun, I can just tell." Gabriel mumbled to himself, shaking his head and exiting the door. His eyes glued on the back of Castiel's head. Something was definitely wrong with his younger brother, he would bet his favourite knife on it.

"Are you actually coming or do you intend to stand on the sidewalk, staring at the house and gawking like an idiot at it?" Castiel asked, glancing over his shoulder before he walked up the garden path towards the house, straightening the trench coat he insisted on wearing when they were going to interview witnesses or victims. Gabriel rolled his eyes, pulling a face at Castiel's back before he joined him on the small porch. He glanced once at his brother before he knocked smartly on the door waiting for a response.

They didn't have long to wait.

The sound of muffled footsteps against a wooden floor became louder before the door was pulled open by a tall attractive woman who looked to be in her mid thirties.

"Lisa Braeden?" Gabriel queried politely, watching as her pleasant smile became more questioning as her hand tightened on the wooden door frame.

"That's me" she confirmed, "How can I help you?"

"I hope you can" Gabriel continued to say with a smile. "I'm Doctor Billingham and this is my colleague Doctor Crais. We're with the medical board for the state of Kansas ma'am. We have a few questions we need to ask you, may we come in please?" he asked, Lisa frowned, a worried look coming to her expression as her dark eyes searched their faces carefully.

"Where are your IDs?" she demanded uneasily.

Gabriel flashed her another reassuring smile, reaching into his suit jacket pocket and pulling out his fake medical badge, flashing it at her aware of Castiel doing the same thing to the side of him. She leaned forward peering at the badges carefully before she sighed, the sound unhappy as she stood back and allowed them to enter the hallway.

Gabriel glanced around him, it was cool and pleasant and smelt of flowers and another smell which was familiar but which he couldn't place his finger on. It was only faint as if whatever caused it was already gone and had been for a while but he knew that it was going to annoy him until he figured it out.

"Follow me please" she stated, leading them down the hallway and into a large bright room which looked as though it was the family room. She perched herself uneasily on the edge of one of the cream sofas and looked expectantly at them both. "What can I do for you both?" she asked, her voice emotionless as she continued to watch them, there was something in her gaze which placed Gabriel on edge but he wasn't sure what it was.

He shared a quick look with Castiel, who shifted making it clear that he had noticed something as well. That was the one good thing about working with his brother; words were often not needed between the pair of them to understand what the other was thinking.

"We've just got a few routine questions we need to ask you Ms Braeden about your son Ben" Gabriel remarked, watching as she sucked in a sharp breath, surging to her feet as though the sofa had given her an electric shock.

"What about Ben? Is there something wrong?" she demanded a tone of maternal possessiveness coming to her stance and voice. Her eyes flashed at them, concern and anger rolling into one.

"He's fine Ms Braeden" Castiel remarked, his voice gentle. "We were just wondering whether we could speak to your son. Is he currently in?" Lisa's body sagged back in relief, her eyes closing briefly clearly saying a small prayer of thanks.

"He's out at the moment with a family friend" she replied "He isn't due back yet" her eyes flickered to the wall clock with a slight frown before she turned her attention back to them.

"Perhaps you would be willing to answer a few questions for us while we wait for Ben to return?" Gabriel asked, flashing her a wide smile as he turned the charm on, she stared back at him a look of distrust as she shifted on the spot.

"I can try" she said, an unwilling note to her voice which Gabriel ignored.

"We understand that your son Ben has been ill recently?" Castiel remarked. Gabriel's eyes narrowed for a second as he noticed the slight stiffening of Lisa's limbs and the way her breathing suddenly quickened. She looked nervous as though she was hiding something.

"He was quite ill yes" she answered slowly. Gabriel nodded.

"And then he suddenly became well again, according to the medical reports he had been dying of an incurable disease and when they did the tests a week later it was completely gone as though it had never been in his system in the first place. Could you perhaps explain to us why you think that might be?" he queried keeping his voice pleasant.

"Wait" she stated, her eyes suddenly narrowing. "You've looked at my son's medical records?" she demanded, a thread of anger entering her voice. "You aren't allowed to do that without permission from my son's guardian who is my self. How exactly did you gain access to his medical records?"

Gabriel bit the inside of his mouth as he silently cursed. Trust Lisa to be the one witness who actually knew something about the law.

"Your son's Doctor sent us the information Ms Braeden. It's their duty to report to the medical board when things like this happen so we can look into it and see whether there was something which could be used to help others who are suffering from the same illness that your son was." Gabriel lied coldly, giving up on the charm offensive since she seemed immune to it. "How exactly do you think your son got better? You must have given it some thought, anyone would have in your position" he commented watching her reaction carefully. The only thing he could pick up on was the fact that she was extremely pissed off. She opened her mouth to speak when then the front door opened and a warm familiar male voice called out.

"Lisa? We're back, where are you?" Gabriel blinked at the sudden interruption turning around in time to catch Castiel's reaction to the voice. His brother suddenly looked alive, his eyes lighting up as he turned instantly towards the door and the sound of voices with an expectant, almost eager look coming to his face.

The door to the living room opened revealing Dean with a kid of about seven or eight who must have been Ben since he shared the same dark curly hair and dark eyes as his mother. There was something familiar about him but Gabriel couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"Dean you're back" Lisa said in obvious relief. "This is Doctor Billingham and Doctor Crais, they are from the medical board for the state of Kansas, they've come asking some questions" she stated. Gabriel met Dean's eyes surprised to see the rage burning in the green orbs.

"Doctors?" Dean repeated, dropping his eyes for a moment before he turned his attention back to Lisa, he placed one hand lightly on Ben's shoulder. "Why are the medical board asking you questions Lisa?" he asked, his voice calm and soothing with the same Texan accent which had flavoured Sam's voice, it was the type of voice you wanted to listen to. Lisa shrugged looking suddenly more relaxed.

"They want to ask some questions about Ben getting better" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly has that to do with you?" he asked turning his attention to Gabriel and Castiel. "Surely this is a topic you should be discussing with the lead Doctor in Ben's case, surely he's more qualified and suitable to answer any queries you might have rather then bothering Lisa and Ben? You never know _Doctor_" he continued, placing emphasis on the title "Perhaps what happened to Ben is a miracle from above. Do you believe in God Gabriel? I mean sometimes good things do happen to people who deserve them the most" he stated softly, the rage in his eyes dying to be replaced by a weary sadness.

"Not in my experience Dean and what about you, do you believe in the man upstairs?" Gabriel demanded before he could stop himself, a small smile came to Dean's face.

"Ask me later on tonight and we'll talk about it if you really want to. Please though don't let us hold you up from the rest of your day, I'm sure you've both got things which you need to crack on with." He stated his eyes moving away from Gabriel to look at Castiel for the first time. A change seemed to come over him, his breathe catching in his chest as his eyes widened. Gabriel watched him for a moment before he looked back to Lisa who was looking between them with a look of surprise mingled with suspicion.

"It appears we've come at a bad time Ms Braeden, thank you for your time" he turned and walked towards the open doorway, stopping when he realised that Castiel wasn't following him.

He turned back with a look of annoyance to see that his brother was standing in exactly the same place as before, flexing his hand as though he was stopping himself from reaching out for Dean.

"Castiel come on."

Castiel ignored him, his gaze fixed on Dean who stared back fiercely. Gabriel could almost see the electricity arcing between the two of them, connecting them somehow and it made him feel uneasy.

Something was going on in this town, something which he was going to get to the bottom of.

He stepped back and grabbed Castiel by his arm, manhandling his brother out of the room, sparing a quick questioning glance at Dean. The other man didn't notice it, looking confused and worried as though he had just come out of a trance.

Whatever was going on with Castiel Gabriel was positive the eldest Winchester had something to do with it and he wasn't going to stop until he found out what it was and placed an end to it.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read and if you've left a review or made this a favourite or are now following it then thank you as well. It's much appreciated! :)**


	8. We'll protect you Dean

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

* * *

Disclaimer

**None of the characters belong to me in this chapter I am merely using them for my own personal entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**Here's chapter Eight for you all.  
**

**I really hope you're enjoying the story and are finding it an original and interesting read!**

**Some of Dean's secrets will be revealed very shortly... you have been warned lol!**

**Enjoy!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Dean informs Lisa and Ben about Gabriel and Castiel…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/ Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romance

**Mentions of Dean Winchester / Lisa Braeden (Past relationship) and hints of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester.**

* * *

Chapter Eight

We'll protect you Dean

* * *

Dean let out a shaky breath as soon as he heard the front door close with a resounding click indicating they were alone in the house again. He released Ben's shoulder and walked across the room, sinking down on to the comfortable sofa. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees before he buried his face into his hands ignoring the heat the movement caused as he tried to control his breathing and his racing thoughts.

Jesus that had been harder then he thought, he hadn't expected to come face to face with Castiel so soon after last night. He had hoped after they left the bar that they would have kept away for a bit allowing Dean to build up some sort of defence but clearly someone upstairs had something against him.

He swallowed his pride, following his instincts for once and reaching out with his mind towards his brother, needing to feel the warmth and comfort the younger man always provided to him. He was about to make contact when he stopped, a chill going through him when he noticed something else, something which hadn't been there yesterday. He closed his eyes mentally searching, his focus fixed on the simple thin, golden line, almost like a string, leading away from his soul all the way to Castiel's. Dean sucked in a panicky breath, if he acknowledged it or touched it then he would be screwed, that much he knew.

And yet now that he could see it, it was as though he couldn't ignore it, everything in him wanted to touch it and to connect with Castiel so he could find out everything there was to know about the other man. If it was anything like the connection he shared with Sam then he would be able to see straight into the man's very soul, read each and every thought no matter how deeply buried they may be, he would experience his emotions, hear what he heard, see what he could see. Everything that made Castiel, Castiel would be his to share and know. There would be no secret or desire that he would be able to hide from Dean. Dean would know it all.

It was so tempting, the gold line vibrating and shimmering beneath his attention as though it was trying to convince him to touch it.

He could just take a small peek at it. There was always the chance that Castiel wouldn't even realise that he was sharing his mind with someone else. Just one small touch and Dean would know, he would know what their plans were, how far along with their investigation they currently were. He would know if they planned to find and capture them first, torturing them for information on their coven or whether they would simply kill them and dispose of the bodies, leaving town before anyone was even aware of what had happened to them.

Didn't he owe it to his brothers to at least try and find out about their plans? It would be the only way he could keep his brother safe, he made a promise to Jo that he would keep them protected and his word was his bond. He could not and would not break it.

Perhaps, just perhaps this was the reason why he had been marked by Castiel in the first place, perhaps it hadn't been sheer dumb luck after all; maybe just maybe he was meant to have this connection with the Hunter so he could use it for his own benefit. Perhaps Castiel had enough information in his mind that the coven themselves could use it; even mount a counter attack against the Hunters who had grown more violent recently, refusing to leave them alone to live in peace.

Dean could change everything if he just reached out and took it; one simple touch was all that was needed.

A small hand touched his shoulder causing him to jump in surprise, his head snapping up, breaking his internal concentration. He met Lisa's dark concerned eyes with a wide stare before he looked around him, surprised to find himself still sitting in the living room at the Braeden's house.

"Dean is everything alright?"She demanded, a tone of anxiety coming to her voice and face as her fingers tightened on his shoulder. "You've gone pale, are you coming down with something? Should I call Sam for you?" Dean blinked, looking down, flexing his hand when he realised he had began stroking his palm, heat pouring from it as though he was touching an inferno meaning that Castiel was responding to the touch and copying it even if he didn't understand what was going on. The other man would be feeling the same emotions as Dean, he could almost feel Castiel's longing for him through their growing connection and it quite frankly scared him.

Dean shuddered, snatching his hand away from his palm, horror filling him as he realised what he had been about to do. What was he thinking?

"Yeah Lisa, I'm fine" he said softly, nodding his head. "Though if you could call Sam then I'd appreciate it, thanks" Lisa nodded straight away, taking her hand away from him and hurrying across the room towards the phone. Dean watched her for a moment before he licked his lips, locking his hands together to stop himself from touching the mark, his leg bouncing up and down on the spot betraying his unease.

"You okay Dean?" Dean glanced to the side of him, forcing a smile on his face as Ben jumped onto the seat next to him, tilting his head at him in a questioning manner.

"Yeah I'm all good Ben" Dean responded, he forced himself to unlock his hands, reaching over and running a hand over the young boy's head, a wave of affection coming over him as he used his power to send a quick healing pulse into Ben. He watched as Ben sagged against him, a peaceful smile coming to his face.

Dean sighed, looking towards the fireplace.

He should never have healed Ben in the first place, Dean knew that it went against everything his mother had told him when she had been teaching him how to control his powers. He had to keep them a secret from everyone if he was going to protect himself and Sam from the outside world. People, she had warned him, her blue eyes gazing into his intently as she had rested her hand against his shoulder, wouldn't understand them especially considering who they were. They wouldn't care if he used his powers to help people, they would merely see something unnatural and they would want to destroy him and Sam because that is what the human race did. They killed and destroyed thing which were different from themselves.

Dean had taken her all her lessons to heart, keeping his powers to himself until the moment Ben had become seriously ill. The boy had been so young still; his soul bright and good and strong but dark sickness had been threatening to destroy the life completely.

The urge to heal him had overwhelmed Dean and he had been unable to rein the impulse in.

How could he have lived with himself if he had allowed his own son to die when he had the power to change it? Ben was the Winchester hope for the future, the last of the ancient bloodline. Dean couldn't let his miracle die, not while he had been able to do something about it.

He had gone to Lisa the minute she had called him in a panic to tell him the news. He had sat her down, taken her hand in his and explained his past to her, or at least as much about his past as he thought she would be able to cope with knowing. At first she didn't believe him looking at him as though he was crazy but once she had seen what he did for Ben, how he healed him so he could live she had soon changed her tune. Looking at him and finally admitting that Ben had been doing some things which he should never have been able to do, things which no human should have been able to do. Dean hadn't been able to hide his joy from her, it had been such a relief knowing that his gift had been past on as it was meant to be.

They had agreed to keep it a secret from the young boy that Dean was his father to protect him from the Hunters who would use the small boy against him. Dean came over twice a week sometimes more if he could manage it to see Ben, taking him to baseball practice or to see a film all the while keeping a close eye on him, regularly healing him so there was no chance that the disease would return and keeping him safe from all harm.

Sam had understood when Dean had told him, coming clean about the whole situation and who Ben actually was in the scale of things. He had given Dean a rare hug, a look of relief in his eyes. He occasionally came with them when they went out, intent on building up a relationship with his nephew as well.

And now everything Dean had worked so hard to keep hidden and safe was threatening to go up in smoke in front of his eyes because Gabriel and Castiel Novak had already come to Lisa's front door asking questions about Ben and what had happened to him and both were clearly suspicious of the whole thing. Worst then that though was the fact that they had already seen his son in the flesh. It wouldn't take either of them long to see the similarities in features that Dean shared with Ben, he was only surprised that more people in the town hadn't guessed that he was Ben's father. He was pretty sure that it was down to Sam that it had remained a secret for so long.

Dean would keep his son safe no matter what the cost was to others, Ben had to live for all their sakes.

"Are you gonna stay for dinner tonight?" Ben asked attracting Dean's attention to him again. "Mum's doing homemade chilli with homemade crusty bread and its proper awesome Dean, you'd love it!"

"Yeah not tonight I'm afraid little man, maybe I can stay next week for dinner instead" he said, smiling when Ben shot him a disappointed look.

"Why not"? He whined, pulling a face.

"Because Ben, me and Sammy have something important we need to do first before we go to work tonight and it can't wait, not even for your mum's killer cooking." He responded, ruffling up Ben's dark hair. Ben made a huffing sound before he shrugged.

"Fine" he remarked grudgingly "But you better be here next week Dean" he threatened shooting Dean a narrow look. Dean saluted him.

"Yes Sir" he remarked, pushing him self to his feet as Lisa walked back over to them.

"I got through to Sam and he's on his way over for you" she remarked, Dean nodded, his shoulders relaxing when the familiar feeling of Sam's concern washed through him, he latched onto it instantly, shoving the meeting with the Novak brothers and the golden connection at Sam so he could view it. Dean almost smiled when Sam concern levels shot through the roof. If his brother wasn't careful then he'd have a heart attack.

"The two men who were here" Dean said tilting his head back and meeting Lisa's eyes head on. "Don't tell them anything at all no matter what they ask you, the pair of them aren't real Doctors Lisa" he stated firmly, Lisa raised a dark eyebrow at him looking concerned at his remark.

"If they aren't Doctors then who exactly are they Dean?" she asked, wrapping an arm around Ben's shoulder when he stood up from the sofa and came to her side. Dean looked at them, his heart swelling in his chest at the sight of Ben's determined expression. He might not look like him but there were certainly parts of him which were from Dean.

"They are Hunters" he replied quietly. Lisa sucked in a breathe at his words, her mouth parting slightly in shock.

"Hunters?" Ben piped up in confusion. Dean nodded hesitating for a moment before he spoke.

"They hunt special people like me and Sam" he said reaching up and dragging his hand through his hair. "In fact we're pretty certain they've come looking for us Lisa or at least one of us" he said, he gave her a pointed look his eyes dropping to Ben for a moment before he looked back to her suddenly fearful eyes. He watched as her arm tightened around their son, her hand coming up to her mouth, covering it as she swallowed the sound loud in the suddenly silent room.

"And you think they've come here because-"her voice trailed off. Dean caught her eyes.

"No, not for that" he stated steadily. "They've come because they heard about what I did, they somehow felt the vibrations it caused" he said choosing his words carefully. He wasn't sure how much Ben remembered about the night he healed him, the small boy had been pretty much out of it by the time he had gotten to the hospital to see him.

"They are after you because you healed me Dean, that's what you mean isn't it" Ben remarked bluntly, looking displeased with the situation. Dean nodded slowly, a small smile coming to his face. Well that certainly answered his question.

"The longer we can keep it hidden from them that it was me who healed Ben up, the better it will be for all of us" he warned them both. "So when they come again to speak you Lisa, do not let them into the house and definitely don't answer any of their question no matter how harmless it might seen, nothing they do is simply harmless if they're like any other Hunter I've met. Just tell them that if they have any queries they can go and speak to Ben's Doctor at the hospital. If they carry on pushing you for answers about it then threaten them with your lawyer or with the police or something, anything to make them back the hell off of you both. Get Ben to call me the minute they get to the door and me and Sam will drop everything we're doing to get to you both. Just don't let in the house again, you can't trust a thing either of them says."

"Of course Dean" Lisa said firmly, reaching out with her free hand and placing it on his shoulder. "You know what you mean to me and Ben; we'd never do anything to put you and Sam in any sort of danger. Thanks for warning us" Dean nodded, looking away from her and towards the front door.

"Sam is here" he said, briefly covering her hand with his and squeezing before he stood up. "Ben, I'll see you next week for baseball practice ok?" he said, grinning when Ben nodded.

"Ok Dean" he said "And don't worry we won't let those men get you, I'll protect you from them" he promised, Dean winked at him.

"Good to know I've got you covering my back buddy" he replied ruffling his son's hair up, he shared one last look with Lisa before he headed towards the front door and opened it. Sam was lounging against the porch wall, straightening the minute Dean exited the house. He searched Dean's face carefully, remaining silent as he threw the keys to the impala to Dean. Dean unlocked the car, yanking open the door and climbing into the drivers seat. He waved at Lisa and Ben through the window and turned to Sam when his brother joined him.

"Say what you've got to say before you explode Sam" he advised

"I don't like this whole situation Dean, it's a mess and it's getting fucking worse with every passing minute" Sam stated turning to face Dean.

"I'm not exactly thrilled with the whole thing either Sammy" Dean answered "They're already onto us, not only that but they've seen my son. No Hunter has ever got close enough to see Ben before" he stated, an undercurrent of rage to his voice.

"What do you want to do then? Kill them and dispose of the bodies before anyone had a chance to talk to them?" he asked. Dean stared out of the window for a moment, his thumb stroking his palm before he sighed and shoved the keys into the ignition

"It's too late for that Sam, too many people have already seen them around town" Dean remarked, he closed his eyes briefly, his heart sinking in his chest. There was only one thing they could do now "It's time we go and see Ellen."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for reading, it's much appreciated **


	9. Mother

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

* * *

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes**

Author Note

**Here's chapter nine  
**

**Within this chapter are the beginnings are the second plot line, I believe that the majority of you have already figured out what plot one is without me telling you out loud which is a good thing but this is the second one.**

**You'll also get the first explanation as to why Dean is so special and the reason behind that.**

**So enjoy!**

Overall Summary

******Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Sam and Dean travel to the Roadhouse to see Ellen…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Mother

* * *

Sam shifted nervously on his seat, looking at his brother from the corner of his eyes, this had become more serious then even Sam had suspected if Dean was already talking about going to see Ellen. Normally his brother liked dealing with any problem which came to Lawrence him self rather then bring in help from the Coven, especially if that help came via Ellen.

Sam supposed it was the fact that Gabriel and Castiel had seen Ben which had forced Dean to take this course of action so quickly, they might not have recognised who Ben was yet but it would be only a matter of time before they figured it out and Sam knew as well as Dean that neither man would hesitate in using the small boy if it meant Dean going to them, His brother who would never leave his son in the mercies of two Hunters, especially when the two Hunters had the reputation which the Novak brothers did. The mark merely complicated matters but that was what Sam was for. The mark might stop Dean from harming Castiel, but it wouldn't stop Sam from eliminating the threat to his brother and he would happily do it if it came down to it. No one would harm his brother while he was alive and still breathing.

"You know, you seriously need to stop thinking so loudly before you end up doing some damage to your self Sam" Dean remarked, sounding remarkably calm for some one who had been marked by one of the Hunters who had come to Lawrence to kill them and who had both seen the last of the Winchester blood line. Sam had expected Dean to be hitting the roof.

"Well what can I say? It's been an eventful twenty four hours Dean and us dropping everything to go and see Ellen on her home turf is just the icing on the cake" Sam pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned his head back against the leather chair. Dean shrugged his shoulders, his hand tightening on the steering wheel.

"At the end of the day Sam, Ellen is the head of the coven, she's the mother of all witches, only the crone is above her in position and power and its not like anyone ever sees her anymore, even I haven't seen or heard from her in years Sam." Dean answered biting down on his lower lip hard enough to produce blood. "Look I know this whole plan sucks but If there is anyone who is going to know anything about bonds and marks and all the rest of that shit then it's gonna be Ellen. I've got Bobby looking through his stack of books back at the bar but he's younger then Ellen, as good as he is, he doesn't quite possess the same level of knowledge that she has, though I'd wager it's a close thing now. I need answers Sammy, you need answers, hell even Adam's gonna need answers when he finds out about all of this. I've fallen which means you're next for it to happen to and I'll be damned if I allow this shit to happen to you as well. It's not gonna happen, not while I'm alive and capable of preventing it."

"What if she can't tell us anything?" Sam demanded, reaching up and running his hand through his hair in an agitated manner. "Then you've just gone and informed her that you are now marked and she's gonna be fucking pissed Dean when she find out exactly who has marked you. I know you hate using the title and everything but it doesn't change the fact that you're the god damn maiden of all witches Dean. You're the heir apparent, the guy who will one day be the father and the elder of all the witches in the freaking world. You were meant to have been safe from accidental marking. It was the only reason why she allowed us to leave here in the first place because she thought you would be safe."

"Don't call me the fucking Maiden Sam, it's a stupid ass title" Dean grumbled, his face reddening. "I'm a man for god sakes, not a chick."

"Well sorry Dean, you're the first male witch to hold the position, so I suggest you man the hell up and simply deal with it, because you're stuck with the title whether you want to be or not." Sam responded with a reluctant smile as he remembered the expression of sheer discomfort and embarrassment on Dean's face when someone had first called him by his official title. "This whole mess shouldn't even be happening, it's like a bad dream which we just can't wake up from, I mean damn it Dean this just isn't right, he's human for God sake, you're the Maiden. You aren't even the same species when you think about it, not really" Sam stated, the smile fading from his face.

"Yeah well its all well and good you saying that Sam, but apparently someone forgot to send Castiel a memo listing the rules which magical beings are governed by, and for the record Sammy, we're still human deep down, never forget that." Dean said seriously before he changed the topic of conversation away from his title. Sam shot him a sympathetic look before he sighed.

"So Gabriel and Castiel were already at Lisa's when you returned with Ben from the game then?" Sam said into the silence Dean's words had left behind. Dean nodded slowly. "So I guess that means that they really are on to us, or at least they figured out that a witch healed Ben's condition, they just don't know yet who the witch actually is and they still think there is only one of us here, not a whole mini society of them" Sam said.

"They aren't getting their hands on any of them" Dean growled. "Every single one of them is under my protection remember Sammy? If Gabriel or Castiel touch one single hair on any of their heads or they even threaten one of them with violence then I swear to the Goddesses that it's gonna be straight out war between us and the Hunters and it will be a war that I won't lose."

"Well isn't that great, as if things aren't complicated enough in our lives at the moment" Sam mumbled ignoring the half hearted glare he received from Dean. "So have you done any other magic recently besides continually healing Ben every time you see him?"

"No" Dean said shortly, he glanced at Sam. "Have you? Besides keeping everyone in this town from recognising Ben as my son?" he asked. Sam felt his face flush before he shrugged.

"No that's the only magic I've done recently" he replied awkwardly, expecting Dean to lecture him, instead Dean remained silent concentrating on driving.

Sam sighed turning his head and staring out of the window at the passing scenery.

There had to be a way of getting Dean out of this messed up situation, the thought that Dean might be linked to someone like Castiel for the rest of his life made Sam's stomach churn. This wasn't the fate that Dean deserved and once everyone found out what had happened then the coven would be in uproar, none of them would allow the Maiden to be chained to a human, especially a human who hunted their kind at that. There would be bloodshed Sam was sure of it.

It just wasn't right. Sure his brother could be an annoying asshole at times but he was a decent person. Dean was the sort of person who would heal a complete stranger if the need arose. Dean was the sort of person who would protect everyone who he was responsible for regardless of the cost to him self was. He was the type of man who would ignore his own exhaustion to stay up with a person who was suffering, making jokes and giving advice until their burden was lightened. Dean was not the sort of person to be tied to a cold hearted murderer for eternity, a man who did what he did because he believed that humans were the only species who should be allowed to exist on Earth. As if man was the oldest species on the planet when in fact they the witches were.

Sam closed his eyes as his head gave a sudden throb of pain, he started in surprise when he felt Dean's hand rest on his cheek for a moment, warm and secure before he removed it taking the headache which had been plaguing Sam all day with him. Sam turned his head to look at Dean but his brother ignored him, singing lightly along with the radio, looking like a man who had no worries rather then a man whose world was slowly self combusting and crushing him.

Sam swallowed looking back to the window.

He couldn't allow this to happen, there had to be something he could do. He would do anything to save Dean from this fate.

"Hey sleeping beauty wake up, we're here." Sam blinked at the sound of his brother's voice, lifting his head from the window and looking around him groggily. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes as he straightened, moving his head side to side as he looked out of the windscreen. They were outside the roadhouse. A bar which existed strictly for the supernatural, a bar which humans were unable to see until it was too late, if any human was unfortunate enough to stumble across it then they didn't live long enough to be able to tell anyone about it.

It was also the place where Ellen Harvelle resided.

Sam took a deep breath and exited the car wondering when the last time he and Dean had stood outside this building was. It must have been a while ago if the memory of it was fuzzy in his head. He turned to look at Dean over the roof of the impala and sighed when Dean shot him a comforting smile.

Sam shook his head; of course Dean would focus on Sam trying to comfort him instead of dealing with his own internal trauma. God only knew what being back here was doing to his brother.

He wanted desperately to know what was going on in Dean's head but he didn't dare probe. Dean would know the instant he did and he would be highly pissed off by the invasion of his privacy. They had enough to deal with, without arguing with each other on top of it.

"Come on Sam" Dean said sounding confident. "There's no point in standing out here and staring at the place, let's just get it over and done with" he said, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and walking up to the front of the old building. Sam followed him, ignoring the growing sense of unease building in the pit of his stomach with each step.

He followed Dean up the stairs and into the bar, looking around him cautiously. He wished they were back at their bar where everything was normal and familiar. The Roadhouse was old, ancient even, a sense of power pressed down against his skin as though it was trying to break through to reach what lay beneath. Sam shuddered resisting the urge to itch.

It was dark inside, a jukebox in the far corner played music from an era which Sam couldn't place and the whole place smelt of old sweat, peanuts and beers. Sam wrinkled his nose trying to ignore it and the fact that the place had fallen silent the minute Dean had walked in through the doors, his head held high as though this was completely normal, Sam supposed that it actually was for Dean. He followed his brother to the bar noticing that several of the people they passed bowed their head to Dean in respect, a fact which his brother calmly ignored. Sam stopped beside his brother at the bar, his senses stretched out fully as he waited to see whether anyone would try anything, his old instincts as Dean's bodyguard flaring back into life. He stood closer to Dean then he had done for a while and expected to hear a joke about personal space but Dean remained silent. His face fixed in an expressionless mask he always used in this sort of situation as he looked around him.

Sam wasn't taken in by the act for a second; he could see how uneasy Dean was.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the Maiden of all witches and his loyal little bodyguard coming home to pay me a visit finally, I've missed you both, I hope you are taking care of my little girl Dean, you know how important Jo is to me and to the scale of things. I'm trusting you to look after her handsome."

Sam swallowed at the lazy southern voice, turning his eyes away from his brother to look at the woman standing in front of them. She looked middle aged with softly layered dark brown hair and dark knowing eyes which stared out of a face which could only be described as attractive. She was fairly tall and slim with slender long fingered hands.

"Hello Ellen" Dean remarked back, his hand curling into a fist at the use of his title. Now everyone would know exactly who he was. "It's been a while hasn't it, three hundred years or so. We've been meaning to visit sooner but things have been busy in our neck of the woods."

Ellen smiled, reaching out and cupping Dean's face in her hand, her thumb stroking along his high cheekbone.

"Oh I always knew that you would return to me one day Dean, it was the only reason I let you leave me in the first place" she responded sweetly, patting his cheek and taking her hand away. "I wasn't too sure about whether Sam would return with you though" her eyes moved away from Dean's to look at Sam. Sam swallowed at the sheer amount of power in the dark eyes, it felt like being flayed alive or being doused in ice cold water. He was surprised when Dean reached out and grabbed his elbow tightly in his grip, Ellen's eyes dropped to the hold and she smiled. "You know the last time I saw you two boys, Sam here was going through yet another of his childish stages where he wanted to be like a normal human. As though a child of the Winchester and Campbell bloodline could ever have a hope of being normal or properly human" she laughed the sound bringing goose bumps to Sam's arms.

"Well I'm back to stay now" he made himself say.

"So you are Sam. You are both back exactly where you belong" she commented, resting her hands on the top of the counter as she leaned towards them. "Well, there's clearly much we need to discuss with each other Dean and it had better be away from prying ears and eyes. No doubt it's already hit the news stream that the Maiden of witches has made an appearance for the first time in three hundred years. But then again, you always did like causing a scene didn't you Dean?" She smiled "Come out back where it's quieter."

She turned and walked away, never once doubting that they would obey her order.

Sam shared a quick look with Dean before he straightened his shoulders and walked to the end of the bar, thankful when Dean continued to hold his arm, the touch was reassuring and familiar to him. He slipped behind the counter and headed to the door which Ellen had disappeared through.

It was lighter out there, the air sweeter with the smell of scented candles though Sam couldn't quite tell what the scent was. It was soothing, relaxing him despite himself. He started when Dean's finger nails embedded themselves into his skin causing him to hiss in pain as he twisted his head around to look at his brother.

"What the-"he began stopping when Dean held his free hand up.

"Don't breathe the scent in too deeply, try and block out the smell and leave all the talking to me Sam; do not react to anything she says because it's exactly what she wants."

"Okay" he said, allowing Dean to slip past him and lead the way into the small living room.

Ellen was already seated in one of the chairs surrounding a small wooden table; she indicated the two vacant ones with her head.

"Sit down" she commanded, waiting until they had obeyed her before she spoke. "Would either of you like some tea?" she queried politely, her eyes moving between them. "It's my own brew."

"No we're good thanks Ellen" Dean said, rubbing his palm against his jeans nervously. Sam wanted to place his hand over Dean's to stop him but he didn't dare make any move which might have brought attention to what Dean was doing.

"Ok then" she said leaning back into her chair. "What exactly brings you both back to me after all this time?"

"We need some questions answered about marking" Dean said bluntly after a slight pause. Sam tensed up when he noticed the look of triumphant which came to Ellen's eyes.

"Now why would you need to know about that I wonder" she mused softly "Perhaps you could show me your palm Dean" she said. Dean hesitated for only a moment before he placed his hand on the table surface allowing Ellen to view the glowing blue mark on Dean's palm. It looked more vibrant then the last time Sam had seen it as though the connection was growing.

"Very interesting" she said softly, picking up Dean's hand and cradling it in both of hers. "I was beginning to think that no one would be good enough to be your chosen Dean. Your soul has always been different to others, specials in ways that you don't even know yet, ways that aren't linked to you being the Maiden. I am surprised by the fact that you aren't the dominant marker though I had always assumed that you would have been. Tell me the name of your chosen"

Dean swallowed, looking up and meeting her eyes.

"Castiel Novak"

The effect was instant. Sam watched as Ellen immediately dropped Dean's hand as though it had burned her, her eyes narrowing as a look of anger passed her face.

"A Novak" she hissed, her eyes darkening, she breathed in deeply clearly calming herself before she looked up at Dean who was watching the whole scene with a blank expression on his face. "It is not possible for Castiel Novak to mark you as his chosen Dean. He is not magical and you are the Maiden" she said bluntly. "You must be mistaken. Someone else must have caused this mark to appear."

"There is no mistake Ellen" Dean replied firmly. "He touched me and the bond initiated itself. I can see the soul line when I look within. He is the one. Castiel Novak is my chosen."

Sam stared at Dean, shocked to hear that the soul line had already come into existence, normally it took years for that big a bond to emerge even between the marked one. He spoke.

"Castiel doesn't come across as a magical being" he said. "I didn't detect any of the usual indicators from either him or his brother Gabriel when I was confronted with them both" Ellen turned to look at him with a slight frown.

"So Gabriel is there as well. Both Novaks are there in Lawrence hunting you." she said making it clear that it wasn't a question. "Not only hunting you but that one of them has managed to mark you. He must be a dormant, it is the only possible explanation there is to explain this situation" she remarked quietly to her self before she looked back at Dean. "Dean you will need to see if this is the case, I taught you how to tell whether someone in dormant or not; now you must use that knowledge."

"I don't want to know" Dean remarked, his voice low and full of suppressed emotions. "I want to get rid of this mark once and for all, not to exploit the damn thing."

"If the soul line has emerged like you have said then it's already too late for you even if there was a way of reversing it" Ellen responded coldly. "Now you must make the most of it and use this link to gain Intel from him. Once we have the information then we can use it against the Hunters and protect our own kind from further unprovoked attacks from them."

"You want me to encourage this bond with Castiel?" Dean asked in disbelief, his hand curling into a fist on the table. Ellen nodded.

"I am not telling you to encourage the bond Dean, I am commanding you to. You might be the maiden of all witches but I am the mother and you will obey me even if you do not obey anyone else. Understand Dean? This is for the good of your coven and your own people, do not let me down" She stared at him until Dean lowered his eyes.

"Of course" Dean said, pushing his chair back and pushing him self to his feet "I'll send word once I know anything Ellen" he remarked. Ellen nodded.

"I'll be expecting to hear from you shortly then Dean. I would hate to have to make a journey to Lawrence my self to see that you have obeyed me"

Sam looked between the two of them before he shook his head.

They should never have come back here.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for reading, its much appreciated  
**


	10. You know it's the right thing to do Dean

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own personal entertainment.**

Author Note

**So it might look like I've been very quiet over this weekend but in fact I've been working extremely hard for you on Witch Hunt. I have gone back through the chapter, rewriting parts of it, reediting other parts so it all makes sense in the master plan I have going on.**

**There are two major plot lines interacting with each other. Of course there is the whole Castiel/Dean, Gabriel/Sam saga which is still very much ongoing and then there is the second plot line which is mentioned in the below chapter for the first time. Both plots will eventually merge together.**

**Clearly Witch Hunt is going to be a long story but I really hope you stay with me on it and keep reading because it will be worth it.**

**If you have the time I would suggest going to the beginning and reading from there but if you don't have the time then you should read from chapter eight onwards because that is the chapter where I changed something around which will end up being eventually important in the grand scales of things. Especially when it comes to Dean and explaining why he is special.**

**So yep, this story has pretty much ended up with about ten thousand words extra but oh well… that will satisfy the people who don't like short chapters lol!**

**Enjoy**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Sam and Dean have a talk in the impala about what could be…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Ten

You know it's the right thing to do Dean

* * *

Dean slammed the door to the impala shut behind him, wanting to scream his rage to the clear blue sky above them. He was shaking from the suppressed emotions of rage and disgust which he could barely keep contained in his body. Only the knowledge that he would injure Sam and probably damage his car beyond repair kept him from losing control like he wanted to do.

The minute that Sam was in the car, Dean started the engine wanting to get as far away from Ellen and the Roadhouse as he possibly could. Even the sound of his baby's healthy purr wasn't enough to sooth his growing anger. He reversed the car out of the parking lot and drove off, not bothering to look back at the place in his mirror as he headed to the main road which would lead them back to Lawrence.

They still had two hours in which to get back to their bar in time to open it for the evening rush. Dean had never wanted to be there so much in his life, all he wanted to do was to lose him self in the simple, familiar routine of the place, focusing his attention on cooking rather then his chaotic thoughts and emotions. Cooking was simple; it was living which was the difficult part.

He was aware of Sam watching him but he didn't look over to him not wanting to initiate a conversation with his brother until he knew his rage was well under control. The last thing he wanted to do was snap at Sam and say something he would end up regretting when the younger man hadn't earned it. Sam had come with him to face Ellen, having his back just like he always did. He didn't deserve Dean's anger, only one person did and she was sitting back in that bar probably loving the turn of events.

Dean breathed in deeply, forcing his anger to the side so he could focus on the problem at hand and figure out what the hell he was going to do now.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that going to Ellen's had been a terrible mistake on his part but it was one he couldn't take back now however much he might want to. He would have to obey her order which meant encouraging the bond that was between him and the Hunter. He would have to encourage Castiel, use him and pluck the information he needed from Castiel's mind for them to use against the Hunters.

That part of the plan wouldn't be difficult. Castiel was extremely attractive, exactly the sort of man who Dean found himself gravitating towards naturally. Dean could easily picture him self flirting with the other man, reeling him in easily enough before sealing the deal with him, making the bond unbreakable but god he didn't want to, at least not in this way. He wanted it to be something which was his own choice. He wanted to sleep with Castiel because he wanted to, not because of a mark on his palm or because a psycho bitch were forcing him into it and yet what choice did he have?

Ellen's threat about coming to Lawrence lay heavy on his mind, producing a small trickle of fear down his spine. Witches came to Lawrence and the surrounding areas to be under Dean's protection, most had come from Ellen needing a change in life and pace or because they feared that Ellen would kill them if she saw them again. Witches, supernatural creatures and even humans could come to Dean and request sanctuary from him and Dean as the Maiden, had the power to grant it if he felt they were worthy of his protection. Once they were under his protection then they were safe from everyone, there was only two being which he knew of for sure who were more powerful then he was, Ellen unfortunately being one of them, the other one was the Crone.

If it came down to it then Dean could fight Ellen but he was unsure whether he would actually be strong enough to take her out. It had been years since he had to battle anyone who had power which was on an equal level to his own. The closest he had was Sam and Dean would always hold back worried that he would lose control and take it too far injuring his brother in the process.

Then there was the small matter of Ben, Dean couldn't risk Ellen finding out about his son, there was simply no way of telling what she would do if she knew the Winchester-Campbell bloodline had been continued. She still believed as far as Dean knew that he and Sam were the last of their line. Dean had no doubt that Ellen had some sort of master plan which included Dean and Sam he just didn't know what exactly it was yet though he was determined to find out somehow.

So the only choice for him at that moment in time was to do exactly what Ellen had commanded him to do, however much his soul might balk at the mere idea of having to be her agent again. She had been right about one thing though; Dean's loyalty did still lie completely with his coven and his people.

"So" he said softly breaking the silence in the car. "That went fairly well I thought" he looked at Sam, with a slight smile on his face watching Sam's sceptical look melt away as he gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Well you know Dean, we did manage to get out of there with our lives and all our limbs still intact so that's something I guess" Sam answered, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the passenger seat. "So what exactly are you planning to do now? Are you going to do what she says?" he asked, keeping his gaze fixed forward. Dean risked another quick glance at him before he looked ahead, focusing his own attention on the empty road in front of him, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he breathed out, closing his eyes briefly before he spoke.

"Well you must have been listening to a completely different conversation then me Sam because I got the distinct impression that I wasn't actually being given a choice in the matter." Dean answered casually.

"True I guess" Sam conceded with a sigh before he glanced at Dean from the corner of his eyes. "You know you're a lot calmer then I thought you would be its kinda freaking me out to be honest with you." Sam remarked equally casually. Dean snorted, reaching out to Sam through their connection and allowing his brother to feel the full extent of his confusion and rage. He heard Sam startled gasp before his brother responded by sending him waves of reassurance. Dean focused on the emotion allowing it to calm him enough that he could speak.

"I can't allow her to come to Lawrence Sam. I can't let her see Ben nor can I let her know about the sheer amount of witches and other creatures who have gathered there. You know how paranoid she is, if she see them then she's gonna see it as a supernatural army which is slowly coming together to remove her from her position."

"Isn't that exactly what it is Dean?" Sam asked quietly, turning to look at Dean for the first time since they had began speaking. Dean sighed, shaking his head as he hit the indicator and pulled the impala over to the hard shoulder He put the car into park making sure he flicked his hazard lights on before he twisted in his seat so he could meet Sam's gaze fully.

"Come on then Sam. Let me hear it. Your brain has clearly been over thinking things as usual coming up with several insane plans you're dying to share with me" Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"You know Dean; a lot of witches out there think that Ellen shouldn't be the mother. Her blood line isn't pure enough" he said, his tongue peeking out as he licked his lips nervously before he continued. "There are loads of rumour at the moment that she… she killed the last mother and took her position, taking the spot from the rightful heir. That her powers came from ancient dark magic which no witch should possess anymore."

Dean felt his stomach drop at Sam's words.

"Jesus Sam, you sound like a crappy fantasy book" Dean complained, shaking his head. "You know we don't talk about what happened" he stated, dropping the amused act and allowing Sam to hear the anger in his voice, his tone making it clear that he wouldn't hear another word of the topic.

"All I'm saying Dean is that something strange is happening at the moment and I know you know it as well, There's never been so many witches and other supernatural creatures asking for sanctuary from the Maiden. It's as though they are all gathering together waiting for something to happen. A storm is coming you know and they clearly think that you're at the eye of the storm. Shit is about to hit the fan and they know it and they want to be at the safest spot when it does hit." Dean breathed out in annoyance.

"Sam don't you think that we have enough shit on our plates at the moment without talking about starting a war between me and Ellen? No Maiden or Mother has ever gone to war with each other, besides what makes you think I'm strong enough to take her on in the first place? She fucking took out mum for God sake and Mum was the most powerful witch I've seen. If Ellen can take her out then what chance do I have? This isn't the medieval ages Sam. I'm not going to put on the fucking Maiden crown and go to war because someone has taken my spot Sam. Not when there are still people out there who she can use against me. People she knows about, she wouldn't hesitate Sam, she's not better then a God damn Hunter. She'd do fucking anything to keep me in line Sammy anything it wouldn't matter to her what it was she'd do it anyway and I can't risk that."

Sam remained silent for a moment before he nodded his head slowly.

"What if we brought all those people to Lawrence" he suggested quietly. "Then what would you do?" Dean hesitated as Sam continued. "She killed our Mum Dean and then she killed our Dad, don't you think its time we avenged them both. Haven't we waiting long enough for revenge against her?" A heavy silence filled the car as Dean's hands tightened into fists, memories of his parents racing across his mind filling him with a blinding anger and sense of longing which would have brought him to his knees if he had been standing.

"And what if I fail Sam?" he said his voice barely audible in the silent car. "Then what would happen to all those people who are counting on me to keep them safe? What would happen to you and Ben? Do you think she would be satisfied with my death alone? She would kill you both as well and end our line and put one of her puppets in the Maiden position. No Sam" he shook his head ignoring the way his hands were shaking. "If we're going to war then it has to be at the right time. We would need allies from the other supernatural branches out there, we would need to contact Angels and Demons and god knows what else to stand a chance against Ellen. You're right she does have all this dark magic and shit which I can't even begin to touch."

"Yeah" Sam said, his voice shaking slightly. "And you have all this light, good magic which no one else has ever been able to master before, I checked it out, all other Maidens have tried and all but you have failed" he stated "Dean if anyone can do this then its you. I have faith in you, you know and besides you'll have me at your side through every moment. No one has beaten us before."

"Don't you think maybe we should deal with Gabriel and Castiel Novak first?" Dean asked sounding vaguely amused. "You remember them right? Two Hunters with a pretty outstanding record for killing witches who have decided to make us their next prey? I'm hardly going to be good at leading a magical army into battle if I'm killed by an over zealous Hunter."

"Well maybe Ellen is right in this instance" Sam remarked with a shrug, "Maybe you should use your bond with Castiel to get some information. God knows we could use it and beside what would the harm be. All you have to do is sleep with him and you clearly want to" Dean rolled his eyes flicking his finger up at his brother.

"The harm is the fact that I can no longer kill him or injure him" Dean stated flatly. "Gabriel is a walk in the park for me but you know the ancient laws Sam, I cannot use my powers or anything else to harm Castiel. He's the one flipping person in the world now immune to me."

"He's not immune to me though" Sam said simply. "I can hurt him and I can kill him for you Dean if it comes to it" Dean frowned.

"Oh hell no" he said shaking his head. "You've gone hundreds of years without killing a single human, there's no way I'm going to let you break that record now" he said "We'll figure something else out. God knows there are enough people and creatures out there who owe me a favour. It might be time to cash one in if it comes to it."

"True" Sam responded before he sighed and looked over at Dean. "Dean are we actually going to survive all this shit?" he asked.

Dean looked over at him, his mind skirting over everything which had happened to them over the last twenty four hours.

"Who knows Sammy boy" he said honestly "But one thing I do know is that if we are taken out then we're going out with one hell of a bang that much I can promise you."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read **


	11. It's just a theory Gabriel

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own personal entertainment.**

Author Note

**This chapter has been surprisingly hard to write, I've literally tried loads of different things and nothing seem to fit, it was only last night when I was lying in bed watching an episode of Castle that I realised that this was where I wanted to go with it, it was logical and it made sense in the larger scale of things.**

**So it's not a massive long chapter like some of the others for this story but I stopped the chapter at the point it needed to be stopped at because I think that the next chapter must be done from Dean's point of view.**

**I'm sorry about the delay in getting this chapter to you, I know there's nothing worse then having to wait for a chapter of a story you really like when you know the Author is question is clearly still writing other stuff but hey at least its finally here and hopefully it won't take as long to write because at least I know where I want to go in the next chapter!**

**I can't believe that this story has 112 people following it! That's crazy **

**Anyway please enjoy!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Gabriel and Castiel talk before Castiel receives a visit from the last person he expected…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

It's just a theory Gabriel

* * *

Castiel stared blankly at the computer screen in front of him, absently tapping his fingers against the surface of the table in a random beat. He shook his head, breathing out nosily as he realised that he had hit yet another dead end. There was simply nothing being reported in the local newspaper which they could use, no leads, and no suspicious deaths. He hadn't read anything which struck him as out of the ordinary or unusual for a small town. Apart from the incident with the Braden boy there was nothing in Lawrence which screamed out supernatural to him.

It made no sense, there was always something in every town they visited, some spirit in a house which couldn't let go, perhaps a random ghoul or vampire which had made the place their home. Normally the creatures were careful, not wanting to come to the attention of any Hunter but they would always end up slipping up somehow. And yet either the supernatural creatures in Lawrence were being especially careful or something or someone was keeping them under control or out of the town altogether.

Lawrence appeared to be completely free of any supernatural activity. Castiel had never seen or experienced anything like it before.

He leaned back in his chair, his thumb swiping back and forth against his tingling palm as he thought about the Hunt. Ben Braeden appeared to be there only lead in the case, the only hint that there was something going on in this town which wasn't normal and yet they had clearly blown their chances there. Not only had Lisa Braeden been aware of her rights when it came to the law but she had also been strangely suspicious of them from the start. Castiel didn't know whether she was suspicious of everyone who questioned her about her son and his condition or whether there was something else behind it. It had almost felt like she had been protecting someone from them, someone clearly important to her.

What they needed to do was speak to her and Ben again but if the look she had given them when they had left had been anything to go by then hell would freeze over first before that happened. What they needed was someone close to her to speak to her on their behalf, someone who could convince her to speak to them once more and to answer their questions.

Someone just like Dean.

Castiel shifted on the chair, leaning his head against the back of it as he stared up at the cracked motel ceiling. His eyes slowly drifting shut as he thought about the younger man, god he could happily think of him every moment of the day and not be bored of it. His palm heated up, producing a warm pleasant feeling, a feeling that travelled up his arm until he felt surrounded by it. He felt as though he could reach out and touch Dean even though the other man wasn't in the room with him. He found him self forming a perfect image of Dean's face in his mind, the image producing a sharp sense of longing in him as his mind whispered for Dean to come to him to ease the emptiness growing in him.

What had Dean been doing in Lisa's house? Had he known that Castiel was going to be there or was it all just dumb luck that he walked through the door? Was Lawrence the sort of town where everyone knew everyone else or was there a particular connection between Dean and the Braeden family? Both of them had certainly seemed comfortable with him. Castiel frowned a spike of jealous rage shooting through him. Were Dean and Lisa involved with each other in some way? Were they a couple?

God Castiel wanted to see him again. He wanted to lean across the bar counter and touch his bare skin, he wanted to pull him across it and kiss him and never have to stop. The whole thing made no sense to him. Castiel had never felt so strongly for someone before, especially someone who he had just met the day before and barely even spoken to but it didn't seem to matter to him, all that really mattered was Dean.

He had spent the whole night being disturbed by vivid dreams of the younger man, dreams which he hadn't want to wake up from. He had felt off balance all day, dazed with a sense of longing which had only eased when Dean had walked through the door at the Braeden's place.

He blinked when he heard the bathroom door open behind him, distracting him away from his thoughts. He glanced back over his shoulder to see his brother walk out of the small room accompanied by a cloud of steam, dressed casually in a pair of comfortable looking jeans and a blue t-shirt while he rubbed the motel towel over his wet hair. His gaze met Castiel's, raising an eyebrow at whatever he saw in Castiel's face before he looked away from him.

"I'm going to head out to the diner across the street and get us something to eat. It's five now so if we eat early then it will give us more time later to move around the bar and start questioning people. It probably is best if we split up so we can cover more ground in there. Of course, as sod law would have it the people who we really need to speak to the most are Sam and Dean. I tend to find that barmen are the people who happen to know all the secrets and coming and goings in any town because everyone confides in them but bearing in mind what happened yesterday I'm thinking option one of everyone else is probably a better place to start at the moment don't you Cassie?"

"Sounds like an idea" Castiel remarked with a shrug, watching as Gabriel made his way across the room to the bed he had chosen the night before, he bent down and grabbed a pair of clean socks from his duffle bag before he sank on the bed and pulled them on.

"Find anything else in the newspapers which we can use?" Gabriel asked curiously. "If we have a bigger range of topics then it will be easier to ask questions and to build up a picture of what we're actually dealing with here."

"You'd think I would have found something but there's nothing in any newspaper article pointing to anything which might have been considered supernatural. I'm telling you Gabe it's literally like the supernatural don't exist in Lawrence, either something is keeping them away or there is something here big enough and powerful enough to keep them all under control and off the radar. Like an Alpha sort of big."

"You think its' the witch we're hunting?" Gabriel questioned, pushing him self to his feet with a frown as he slipped his trainers on.

"When have you heard of a witch powerful enough to do that?" Castiel asked glancing up when Gabriel joined him at the desk, moving the laptop around so it was facing him.

"You know just because the papers aren't reporting it happening it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't" Gabriel said thoughtfully, standing up and chewing on his lower lip. "Look lets think about what we know ok. We're both agreed on the fact that what happened to the Braeden kid isn't some kind of miracle. It was some form of magic, maybe not the dark magic we're used to dealing with but magic none the less so we know that there's a witch hiding somewhere in this town. A witch we need to deal with. I still think the Braeden kid is our best bet to find out what is going on here."

"The mother isn't going to talk to us again Gabe" Castiel pointed out reaching up and rubbing his hands down his face before he looked back at Gabriel. "She's pretty suspicious of us already if the death glare she gave us at the end was anything to go by."

"Huh and here I was thinking that you didn't even noticed that, I thought you were too involved in your little staring competition with Dean to pay attention to anything else," Gabriel commented lightly, his eyes searching Castiel's face before he shrugged and carried on speaking "Besides Lisa Braeden isn't the only person in this town we can talk to Cassie" Gabriel replied firmly. "A small town like this? Everyone is gonna know everyone else's business. Just because Lisa won't talk to us it doesn't mean that her friends or neighbours will be quite as difficult. They might be willing to talk."

Castiel nodded his head, moving the laptop back to him.

"You know" he began thoughtfully biting down on his lower lip for a moment. "Maybe we're going about this whole thing completely the wrong way" he commented glancing up at Gabriel.

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked with a questioning look.

"Well, let's say just for the sake of it that there was a witch out there who was powerful enough to subdue and control other supernatural creatures in this area. It would make sense that if they had that amount of power then they could hide any magical traces from any Hunters, even Hunters who specialise in reading the signs. For other supernatural creatures to respect them then they've gotta be pretty damn impressive because we both know that Supernatural creatures hate each other normally, the only people they hate more are Hunters. Maybe if we find nothing else, we can take that route and see whether there is a witch in legend who can do that."

Gabriel looked at him his eyes widening.

"No freaking way Cassie, you might actually be on to something there" he hissed. He pulled the laptop to him and typed something into the search engine, clicking on a link before pushing it back toward Castiel. "There's only one legend I can think of which even slightly touches on to what you're thinking and if it is then we might be in serious trouble Cassie." Gabriel said seriously "But at the same time if it is and we got one of them then-"he stopped, running a hand through his hair with a sudden excited look on his face.

Castiel frowned and leaned forward and looked at the article his eyes widening.

"They are just legends Gabe" Castiel said firmly. "No Hunter has ever found any trace that the three great witches even exist. You would have thought by now that some Hunter would have seen the Crone or the mother or even the Maiden. I mean they are the big deal right? Someone would have known about them, someone would have talked. Think how many witches we've interrogated, they were willing to give up just about anything for the torture to stop."

"We never asked them about the three though" Gabriel pointed out, leaning down so his face was on level with Castiel's. "I'm not saying they are real but just think about it for a moment. What if they were and what if one of them was here? Would it not make sense? The three was a pretty massive deal, what supernatural creature would be stupid enough to enter one of their turfs without being invited? No one knows anything about the three, only that you don't want to fuck around with them, but what if its here Cassie and we find them."

"You've gone mad Gabe" Castiel said with a shake of his head. "When I said about a powerful witch I meant like a powerful normal witch I didn't mean three complete and utter legend who probably don't actually exist outside the pages of a book, the same way that Dracula didn't actually exist in that form in real life."

"Every legend is based on truth Castiel, you're the one who is always going on about that" Gabriel pointed out, prodding his finger at Castiel's chest. "Why couldn't they be in a small town, who the hell would ever think to look for any of them in a place like this? It would be the perfect place for them to hide out away from anyone who might try and hunt them."

"Ok let's say for a moment your crazy theory is right" Castiel said slowly. "And one of them for whatever reason is actually here in Lawrence. How the hell are we going to take them down? We're just two Hunters."

"We find out if it is one of the three and then we call in every Hunter available and we take them out. If it is one of them here and we took it out, then just imagine what that would do to the other witches, they would be weakened, they'd separate, they'd-"

"Yeah or perhaps they would be stronger and would unite and crush us all. Jesus do you honestly believe that all the witches are just gonna sit back and let us take out one of their great ones? Gabe you've taken a random theory and gone off on one here. I'm telling you that the witch here is just a normal, regular witch and you know how I know?" he stated, waiting until Gabriel turned to look at him. "Because the three do not exist in real life, they never have and I doubt they ever will because we would know something more about them other then their titles and the fact they're scarily powerful because that's all there is to find when you try to research them. Three great witches, the crone, the mother and the maiden, Rulers of all the witches in the world and you really think we'd have a chance to get close enough to one to kill one? We've got enough shit to deal with trying to find this witch without turning it into something it isn't. Beside from the small amount I have managed to read we should be thanking our lucky stars that the three don't exist. The stuff they could do if they were real and pissed off enough doesn't exactly inspire me with good feelings."

"Fine" Gabriel said, throwing his hands up in the air as he pushed him self to his feet. "You're such a kill joy Cassie" he commented with a huff as he grabbed his light coat from the back of Castiel's chair and slipped it on. "Just for that I'm getting you a burger and chips from the diner. You gonna come and get some fresh air with me or are you gonna stay here?"

"I'm gonna stay here" Castiel remarked absently. "I might as well grab a shower before we leave tonight for the bar. I'm assuming you'll want to get there for about seven or eight" he asked glancing towards his brother.

"Seven" Gabriel replied "It give me more time to perve over Sam" he said with a wink, his grin widening when Castiel rolled his eyes at him. "I'll be back in about ten minutes or so with our food, don't do anything crazy until I get back, you know how pissed off I get when you have all the fun without me. I still haven't forgotten about that time in Seattle." He teased, grabbing his wallet and heading out the door with a wave.

Castiel sighed, turning to stare at the computer screen, his eyes lingering on the article about the Maiden. There was just no way in hell they existed and even if they did they wouldn't have been holed up in a small American town like this one, they would have been in Europe or somewhere else, a place which was large and busy and powerful and full of their followers.

Castiel glanced down at his warm prickling palm before he sighed and leaned forward resting his face in his hands.

What were they even doing in this town?

Gabriel was positive that what happened to Ben Braeden was a lead and yet what if it wasn't? What if Dean had been right and Ben really was just a lucky young boy who got a second chance to live? It wasn't unheard of for a medical miracle to occur which baffled Doctors, Castiel had read more then his fair share of them before while he had been researching other things.

They couldn't leave yet though, not until Castiel had figured out the mystery of Dean and the hold he appeared to have over him now. He had to at least kiss him once.

A sudden knock on the door attracted his attention away from his thoughts. He frowned standing up; he took his favourite gun from the surface of the table and slipped it into the waistband of his jeans within easy reach if he needed it. He moved his papers out of the way grabbing his knife, keeping it in his free hand as he approached the door cautiously. There was no way that Gabriel should have made it back from the diner already. He rolled his eyes, making a sound of annoyance when he realised that there wasn't a keyhole in the door.

Taking a deep breath, his hand tightened on the knife he held, he opened the door.

He opened his mouth to speak stopping, his eyes widening when he realised that it was Dean on the other side of the door.

"Hello Castiel" the younger man stated pleasantly with a half smile on his face. "Can I come in? I think we need to talk".

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read!**


	12. Just stay away!

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own personal entertainment.**

Author Note

**So here's the next chapter for you.**

**Witch Hunt will be one of the few stories (There are four) which I shall be updating on a weekly basis. My other stories will be in rotation and be updated every two weeks. It's the only way which I can think of managing so many stories at one time.**

**I enjoy writing Witch Hunt and I enjoy knowing where the story is eventually going to go. It's gonna be a long one, most definitely over thirty chapters, perhaps nearer fifty depending on a few things. There are so many plot lines and twists and different characters and character stories to include that I don't think I would be doing the plot line any justice if I tried to rush it for the sake of it, abandoning some planned plot lines just to finish the story quickly.**

**I'm not going to abandon the story so please be patient with me. I unfortunately can't be chained to my laptop all day every day trying to update **

**So anyway please enjoy the chapter!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Tensions rises and opportunities are missed…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Strong indications of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Just stay away!

* * *

Dean swallowed hard, managing with difficulty to keep the pleasant expression on his face as he waited for Castiel to answer him and invite him into his motel room. What he really wanted to do was smile, turn away from the other man and walk back to the bar and his brother, pushing Castiel and the mark and the whole incident with Ellen from his mind but he couldn't do that.

Not now.

For once Sam had made sense to him; they had waited hundred of years for the chance to get revenge on Ellen for murdering their parents. Now while she was distracted by the thought of Dean being marked by a human Hunter, he finally had his chance to make his move on her. He could easily meet with the Alphas who fathered the other supernatural creatures who he had encountered throughout the ages, he was strong enough in power to call down the Archangels from heaven and the first Demons from hell and demand their co-operation. He could pull in century's worth of favours which he had built up over time. He could build an army which could take down any army which Ellen produced to face him.

All he needed was the time to do it.

Time in which Ellen stayed far away from Lawrence allowing him to work, Dean was a born leader and strategist, if he had the time to plan then he knew they would win. They had to win; there was no other option available to them. Sam was right, it was time that Dean took the role he was born to be in, the role Ellen had killed his mother for.

All he had to do was keep his side of the bargain with her and to do that then he had to do this.

He had to allow Castiel in whether he wanted to or not.

Dean's eyes lingered on Castiel's face, his heart pounding against his rib cage as he fought the urge in him which wanted to reach out and touch the other man's face, tracing his features with his hands so he could feel the skin beneath his finger tips, skin which looked surprisingly soft considering the life style he knew Castiel led. He wanted to bridge the gap between them and kiss the other man with no intention on stopping because Dean didn't believe that one kiss, however long it was, would ever be enough to satisfy him once he had tasted Castiel. If he gave into the cravings growing in him then he would be lost and he knew it and yet a small, defiant part of him didn't care. A small part wanted to give in to Castiel and be with him and it was a feeling which frightened Dean if he was being honest with him self. He hadn't needed anyone before; he had only been focused on the task of keeping his brother and those under his protection safe from any threat. He had been fine being alone, safe in the knowledge that he still had Sam with him every step of the way but ever since he had glanced at those stupidly bright blue eyes of the man opposite him, it hadn't been enough. Suddenly Dean wanted more; Dean wanted Castiel by his side and in his bed.

He was aware of the silence lingering on between them as they both stared at each other, Castiel's gaze intent. Dean breathed out, the sound loud in the quiet room.

"Look If I'm interrupting something important or I've come at a bad time for you then I can always come back another time" Dean forced him self to say, keeping his voice light and friendly. "Maybe tomorrow or something if you're still in town?" he suggested.

"No" Castiel responded instantly, his grip on the door tightening as he stepped back to the side, opening the door fully for Dean to enter "I'm not busy now so we can talk if you want, come in, excuse the mess Gabe doesn't know the meaning of the word clean" he remarked with a slight smile as he indicated the room with his hand, his eyes never leaving Dean's face.

Dean nodded with a smile, stepping over the threshold and looking carefully around him taking in all the details he could about the room and what the Hunters had with them. His eyes lingered on the open duffle bags and unmade beds before he turned his attention to all the books which littered the surfaces on the tables the room had provided.

"Big readers I see" Dean commented casually, reaching out and opening one of the books up carefully, a slight frown coming to his face when he noticed the title of the book.

How the hell had they managed to get a copy of this book? He thought he had gathered them all up, locking them away from human eyes. He cursed silently in his head, of course they would have the one copy he had some how missed.

Castiel stepped up beside him reaching out and taking the book from Dean's hand, his fingers lightly skimming the back of Dean's fingers, he glanced down at the book's cover before he closed it placing it back on the pile stacked up on the table surface. Dean blinked, turning his head to face Castiel, breathing in the musky scent from the other man before he made himself give the other man a curious look as he took a few steps back so he could think clearly.

"Yeah we both read a bit, it's a hobby and it makes the evenings go quicker" Castiel remarked.

"I'll take your word for it, me and Sammy work every evening so we don't get that problem" Dean pointed out with a smile, he glanced to the side as a flash of light caught his attention, his eyes focusing on a wickedly curved knife sitting on top of a pile of crumpled clothes which looked as though they had seen better days. He swallowed at the sight of it, forcing his eyes away from it and back to Castiel's face. Clearly neither of them had been expecting any visitors or they would have been more careful about hiding their weapons.

Dean shook his head, watching when Castiel moved away from the table and came to stand in front of him, with only a few paces separating them from each other. Normally having someone this close to him would have made Dean feel uneasy, placing him on instant guard, but it felt strangely natural when it was Castiel, as though the other man was meant to be with him by his side. Dean assumed that the feeling was a result of the mark and bond between them now.

"So where exactly is your brother then?" Dean asked curiously, glancing around him, his eyes lingering on the partially closed bathroom door. The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Dean didn't know Gabriel well but even he could tell from the brief time he had spent with him that Gabriel and silence didn't mix together in any sort of fashion.

"Gabriel has gone out for a short time" Castiel answered "It's just me here at the moment."

"Good" Dean remarked, the word escaping his mouth before he could stop it. A pleased look came to Castiel's eyes at his slip up. "I mean I came to speak to both but it's not like it's the end of the world if Gabriel isn't here, you can always tell him later about the conversation." he added, reaching up and running a hand through his short hair. Castiel raised an eyebrow at that, glancing back towards the front door with a considering look before he looked back towards Dean and took a small step further into Dean's personal space.

Dean made him self remain still, ignoring the desire gripping him which made him want to bridge the remaining gap between him and Castiel. He had experienced it earlier that morning when he had seen Castiel in the Braeden house but it was nothing like it was now, now the desire was almost overwhelming making his head swim with it.

"What could we possibly have to talk together about Dean?" Castiel asked softly. Dean nervously licked his lips, a shudder going through him at the way his name had sounded when Castiel spoke it. He wanted to hear it again.

"We've plenty to talk about" Dean answered coolly, standing straighter and setting his shoulders. He was the Maiden of all witches, a man born to handle immense pressure and responsibility, he had faced down angels and demons and god knew what else in his time on his world. He was not some giddy school kid who fell apart just because they were faced with their first crush; there was no way he was going to turn into a mess just because Castiel spoke his name as though he was savouring it.

"Such as?" Castiel queried.

"Such as the real reason why you and Gabriel were at Lisa's house earlier" Dean stated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh that" Castiel said offhandedly, taking another small step forward.

"Yeah that" Dean repeated crossing his arms over his chest. "Care to explain why you were there? I know that you and your brother don't work for the Kansas medical board so why the hell did you lie and say you did and why the hell do you have fake IDs saying you do?" he demanded.

Castiel stopped moving and stared at him.

"And how do you know that I'm not a Doctor Dean?" he asked politely, crossing his own arms over his chest as he waited patiently for Dean to answer him. Dean felt his eyes narrow in annoyance.

"Because Castiel, you and your brother aren't as smart as you think you are. You've clearly forgotten the one cardinal rule about bars" he commented.

"And what's that then?" Castiel queried.

"That everyone always talks to barmen about everything" Dean said bluntly. "Your brother Gabriel made the mistake of telling Sam last night that the two of you travel all across America, from town to town doing the odd jobs here or there. Its amazing what people let slip when they are trying to get into someone's bed for the evening." Dean commented, watching a sudden flash of heat come to Castiel's eyes, he forced him self to ignore it and to continue speaking. "If you worked for the Kansas medical board like you claim to do then there is no way in hell that you would be travelling around the country for them because why would they care about anything which was happening in another state? Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert but I'd wager a guess that they have enough shit to be dealing with within their own boarders without creating extra work for themselves by having their Doctors travel around America. Surely you'd be needed here."

Dean watched carefully, picking up on the hint of frustration and anger which came to Castiel's eyes before he lowered them to the ground, hiding his expression from view.

"Why does it bother you so much Dean?" Castiel asked, bringing his eyes back to meet his. "What's so important about this that you would come down here just before opening time to ask me about it? You're clearly not stupid so you would know that we are coming to the bar later this evening, so why not just ask me there if you needed to know the answers that badly? Why make the special journey to come to my motel room to ask? I'm sure that Gabriel didn't tell your brother what our room number was because we didn't even have a room number a that point in time, which can only mean Dean that you've gone out of your way to find out where I'm staying just to speak to me. Tell me Dean, were you waiting outside hoping that Gabriel would leave so you could catch me alone? Why not knock when we're both here if its that important to you?" he asked casually reaching up and running his hand through his hair, a slight smile lingering around his mouth as he watched Dean.

"You flatter your self Castiel, I would have spoken to both of you if your brother was here" Dean responded shortly, cursing inside his head when he felt his cheeks heat up meaning that he was blushing, a triumphant look came to Castiel's eyes meaning that he had spotted Dean's reaction.

"Am I?" Castiel commented tilting his head to the side, his eyes lingering on Dean's features as though he was memorising them. "I really don't think I am Dean, especially not about this. Do you want my opinion on why you came down here now?" he asked, taking another step forward so he was within touching distance of Dean.

"Not really Castiel, I'm not that bothered about what you think." Dean answered instantly, feeling a flicker of unease as he shifted awkwardly on the spot. When the hell had he lost control of this conversation and why the hell was he finding it so hot? Dean was always in control, he had to be and yet he was merely helpless in this situation, a bystander watching it all happen.

"Oh I think you do want to know Dean, I can see it in your eyes" Castiel responded simply. "I think that you came down here now because you wanted to see me" he said quietly.

"Now you're really flattering your self Castiel. I came down here to tell you and your brother to leave Lisa the hell alone. You're not Doctors regardless of what you've told her so stay away from her or I'll make you stay away and trust me when I say you don't want that" Dean remarked coldly. Castiel eyes narrowed.

"And how exactly would you do that Dean?" he asked.

"There's always a way Castiel" Dean answered, biting down on the inside of his mouth and forcing him self to focus on the pain so he didn't give anything away.

"I would really like to see you try." Castiel responded, reaching out suddenly and grabbing Dean by his wrist, yanking him forward so he stumbled forward straight into Castiel. The other man reached out instantly wrapping his other hand around Dean's other wrist, staring into his eyes as his thumbs softly began to stroke back and forth over Dean's racing pulse point.

Dean sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling dizzy as the tension between them escalated until it was almost a physical thing pressing against his skin trying to burrow itself into his very soul. He wanted nothing more to give into the demand in Castiel's eyes but he couldn't move, his thoughts racing chaotically around his head, leaving him confused.

Castiel made a sound, releasing one of Dean's wrists and wrapping his hand around the back of his neck instead, using the grip to pull Dean down towards him. The look in his eyes making it very clear what Castiel was planning to do.

Dean's eyes flickered shut.

"Cassie I got you the – oh sorry am I interrupting something here?"

Dean's head swung round towards the door, his eyes widening when he realised that he had been about to let Castiel kiss him. He made a shocked sound, stepping back quickly and pulling his wrist out of Castiel's grip as he ran his hand through his hair. He glanced towards Castiel quickly but the other man was glaring at Gabriel as though he wanted the other man to self combust on the spot.

"I was just leaving" Dean commented, heading towards the door without another look at Castiel. He was aware of the other man staring intensely at the back of his head but he forced him self to ignore the desire to look back at him. He moved past Gabriel and out into the chilly air, breathing it and allowing it to cool his heated face.

Jesus that had been close. He hadn't realised that the pull between them would be that strong if it was just the two of them.

He was going to have to be careful of it in the future.

It was the only way this plan would work.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read! Also an even bigger thank you if you've taken the time to review or follow or favourite Witch Hunt, its much appreciated! :)**


	13. They won't know what has hit them

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own personal entertainment.**

Author Note

**So here's the next chapter for you all.**

**I'm sorry about the delay in getting this written and up to you but it couldn't be helped, not only have I've been pretty damn ill recently but real life has been seriously getting in the way, I have literally had no time to sit down and write this no matter how much I wanted to, I want to update it every week for you all because you all deserve it but I can't promise it, I've just got so much which I need to do and hardly anytime to do it in so please be patient with me. As I said before I have no intention of abandoning this story or any other story I've started. They will all be finished!**

**Gabriel is a bit of a dick in this chapter but I kinda liked writing him that way. He really has no idea what is going on but he soon will!**

**Also the romance will be kick started very soon just so you know**

**Anyway please enjoy!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**It's not like anyone is gonna get hurt Cassie…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

They won't know what hit has them

* * *

Gabriel glanced behind him, wincing when Dean exited the room as though the hounds of hell were after him, slamming the door closed behind him and leaving Gabriel trapped in a motel room with his now enraged brother. He could almost feel Castiel's eyes burning a hole through his jacket and skin as the younger man stared at him, clearly coming up with several ways in his mind to make Gabriel suffer for interrupting Castiel's moment with Dean.

Licking his lips nervously, Gabriel breathed out slowly, turning on the spot and making him self meet Castiel's eyes, he hid another wince at the expression in them. Castiel was definitely going to make his life a living hell for the next few days.

"You know Castiel, you can hardly blame me for what just happened" Gabriel remarked with a shrug. "How the hell was I meant to know that within ten minutes of me leaving the room to get food you would have Dean in here about to lock lips with him. I'm not a mind reader you know and it wasn't as if you had used any of the usual indicators to say you had company with you. I mean when you really think about it, you only have yourself to blame for what happened, it's not my fault" he pointed out, rolling his eyes when Castiel growled at him, eyes narrowing as he tilted his head to the side, clearly still planning Gabriel's demise.

"You're unbelievable Gabriel" Castiel muttered with a sigh, shaking his head as he reached up and dragged his hand through his dark hair making it stand up on end as though he had stuck his hand into a plug socket and proceeded to electrocute himself.

"Yeah tell me something which I don't already know Cassie" Gabriel answered with a cocky smile as he walked away from the door and over to the cluttered table, dumping the plastic bag he had been holding onto it. He shook his head, picking up the books littering the surface and placed them on the floor, hooking his foot around the leg of the chair and pulling it out, lowering his body into it as he reached into the bag and pulled out his food container with a wide grin. He opened it, rubbing his hands together gleefully as the smell of freshly cooked foot hit him, making his stomach rumble in reaction to it.

God he was starving.

He glanced up, frowning slightly when he realised that his brother was still standing in the exact same position as he had been before, staring at the closed door with a far away look on his face, his hand stroking his palm again. Gabriel shook his head and silently sighed, it didn't take a mind reader to figure out exactly where Castiel's thoughts were at that one moment in time and what he was imagining in his mind. Gabriel felt a slightly twinge of guilt blossom in his stomach but he ignored it. It was pretty damn clear that Dean was just as keen on Castiel as his brother was on Dean. They were bound to end up finishing the kiss they had been about to start later on that night if Gabriel knew his brother at all, there was no way Castiel would allow it to end where it did.

Gabriel smiled; with Castiel occupied with Dean it would give Gabriel plenty of time to put operation '_get Sam into bed'_ into motion. After all why should Castiel be the only one getting lucky that night?

"Cassie, Dean's gone ok and I highly doubt he plans to come back here, you'll see him later on for your make out session. Come and eat your food while its still vaguely warm so you can get into the shower and wash because trust me you're not gonna attract anyone smelling like you do right now" Gabriel remarked cheerfully. He grinned when his brother turned to look at him with a glare, taking a big bite of his burger and chewing loudly with his mouth open, knowing even as he did it how much Castiel hated it.

"You're disgusting at times, you know that Gabe" Castiel remarked, glancing once more at the closed front door before he crossed the room and took the seat opposite Gabriel, grabbing his own food container and opening it. Gabriel watched as Castiel glanced down at it, staring at it for a moment before he looked up and met Gabriel's eyes with a half annoyed, half resigned look on his face.

"Don't look at me like that Castiel" Gabriel said "I warned you before I left what I was getting you and you said nothing so just deal with it. Eating a burger once in a blue moon isn't gonna kill you" he stated, taking another bite of his burger to prove his point. He watched shaking his head fondly as Castiel lifted the burger bun and began methodically removing the gherkins from his burger, placing them on a napkin to the side of him before he pushed them over to Gabriel. Gabriel grabbed one of the gherkins popping it into his mouth and chewing it before he spoke, his voice casual. "So why exactly did Dean decide to bless you with his presence then or was there actually no reason for it?"Castiel glanced up at him, his eyes searching his for a moment before he shrugged.

"He wanted to tell us to keep the hell away from Lisa Braeden; apparently you told Sam last night that we travelled from town to town doing the odd jobs here and there. Sam clearly mentioned it to Dean which means that Dean knows we're not Doctors for the Kansas Medical board. He knows we're up to something but he doesn't know what"

"Ah" Gabriel remarked, breathing out noisily as he picked up a chip and bit into it, chewing on it thoughtfully. "Couldn't you have just told him that we were travelling Doctors for them or something?" he asked.

"Dean isn't stupid Gabe" Castiel answered shortly, picking up his own burger "He kinda figured out that the Kansas Medical Board aren't in the habit of sending their Doctors off to other states when they're needed here."

"So he's pretty and smart" Gabriel commented, rolling his eyes as he spoke. "That's just typical isn't it" Castiel eyes narrowed slightly at his comment but he remained silent, biting into his burger with a thoughtful expression on his face. Gabriel wondered briefly what the other man was thinking but pushed the thought away. If Castiel wanted to tell him then he would. "We'll still head over to the bar for seven tonight" Gabriel stated "Dean might be upstairs in the kitchen until ten but there will still be Sam to talk to as well as the other patrons and bar staff. You never know Cassie, maybe this whole thing with Dean is actually a blessing in disguise for us which we can use" he commented thoughtfully, watching as Castiel glanced up at him with a questioning look.

"How exactly?" he asked "We're screwed, Dean's probably already told Lisa Braeden that we aren't who we said we are which means that there's no way in hell that she's gonna willingly talk to us now. She'll probably call the sheriff on us if we so much set foot on her property or look at Ben. People don't particularly like being lied to Gabriel" Gabriel shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't say Captain Obvious" Gabriel answered "Lisa doesn't matter anymore because we don't need her anymore" he remarked offhandedly, a grin coming to his face when he caught sight of his brother's confused expression.

"Okay I'll bite, why don't we need Lisa anymore?" Castiel asked cautiously.

"Because baby brother, we have Dean now don't we" Gabriel responded. Castiel blinked at him, his mouth parting slightly

"Sorry what now?" Castiel stated in disbelief. "What has Dean got to do with this?" Gabriel smiled, picking up another chip and jabbing it towards Castiel.

"Use that big brain in your head Cassie and think about this for a moment" he said leaning forward and resting his arms against the table. "Dean clearly likes you, I mean the dude was going to let you kiss him, if anything from what I saw he was gagging for it as much as you were, which means that you an get close to him and find out exactly what is going on in this town. Not only is Dean clearly close enough to Lisa that she lets him take her precious son out with him to do whatever it is they do but he also happens to be the barman at the hottest bar in town, which means everyone and I really do mean everyone who steps foot in that bar will confide in him, included a witch." Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the strange expression which passed over Castiel's face at his words but it was gone before he could tell what it was. "All you need to do Castiel is make him trust you and then he'll end up telling you everything we need to know" Gabriel smiled, popping the chip into his mouth.

"So you want me to use Dean to get what we want?" Castiel said flatly, a dark look coming to his eyes as he shifted on his chair, his burger forgotten in his hand.

"Jesus you make it sound bad when you say it like that" Gabriel complained "You won't be using him exactly, you'll merely be asking him questions about the town and the people in it, its not like he has to answer the questions if he doesn't want to. Dean likes you Castiel which means he'll be less on guard with you then he is with me for example. He will tell you things without meaning to, like who visited Ben Braeden before he was miraculously cured of his terminal illness. If we find out who that was then we find out exactly who the witch in this town is and then we can end her. It's not like Dean is going to get hurt in the process Cassie and you get what you want as well which is clearly Dean lying in your bed, naked beneath you" he pointed out. Castiel stared at him for a moment before he frowned.

"And what exactly are you going to be doing when I'm meant to be doing that?" he asked. Gabriel grinned at him.

"I'll be focusing all my attention on Sam trying to get answers out of him" he stated "Sammy boy likes me Cassie, he just doesn't realise it yet. So I'll work on him and you work on Dean and hopefully one of them will crack and we will have the answer which we need to solve this case."

"And if they don't break? Then what?" Castiel asked quietly

"Oh they'll break Castiel; trust me on that, they won't know what has hit them."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read!**

**Also a massive thanks if you've taken the time to review or favourite or follow the story, it's much appreciated!**


	14. I'm a professional I'll have you know

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters who are mentioned in the below chapter belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment.**

Author Note

**So I've had some difficulty with this chapter mainly because I wrote this and another version and I couldn't for the life of me decide which one to put up, so the downside is it taken some time to put this chapter up but the plus side is that it does mean that the next chapter is pretty much written already.**

**I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm highly depressed today. I was meant to be going to the UK Supernatural convention but the organiser screwed me and my friend over big time. We did everything we were meant to do, received the order confirmation and a reference number but the bastard didn't bother taking the money from our account and didn't even tell us that he had cancelled our order. We only found out on Sunday when we chased our ticket and then the guy told us. We had booked the hotel and everything.**

**Perhaps I shouldn't be writing in this mood but I'm trying to keep my mind occupied and luckily writing does that. It just sucks so badly that I could have physically met Misha and Richard, I would have been so inspired!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

"**Two bottled beers of some description and a promise that if I'll leave Adam alone then you'll give me at least twenty minutes of your time later so we can talk"**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

I'm a professional I'll have you know

* * *

Gabriel sucked in a breathe and tilted his head back staring up at the Impala bar sign above him with a searching look before he looked back down, breathing out and fixing his attention on Castiel, an uneasy feeling blooming in the pit of his stomach as he caught the eager look on his brother's face. An expression he couldn't remember seeing there before.

Somehow he had a feeling that tonight wasn't going to end up going quite as they planned it to. He reached up and ran his hand down his face sighing as he spoke.

"Look Cassie, I don't need to tell you how much I despise when we're forced to have a conversation approaching emotional but I guess this is one of those occasions" he announced carrying on before Castiel could respond to him. "Are you sure that your mind is on the job at hand because if it isn't and you're gonna spend all the time we should be questioning the local staring at the clock behind the bar with that strange, disturbing mooning look on your face, waiting for Dean to appear then maybe it would be better for you to head back to the motel, do what you gotta do to clear mind and then come back. I can hold the fort until you're finished. It's no problem, in fact to be completely honest with you bro, I think I'd actually prefer it then to have to see that expression again."

Gabriel waited for an answer, raising a questioning eyebrow at Castiel, when his brother turned to look at him, an expression of amusement and annoyance mixing together in his eyes. Gabriel pulled a face when Castiel remained silent and began talking again trying to erase the awkward silence between them

"Its not a big deal you know, it's kinda understandable that you might be slightly distracted, I mean who wouldn't be if they almost kissed someone like Dean, I know if it was me and Sam I'd still be hitting the ceiling through frustration and excitement but let's be honest we've got nothing to go on because the articles we found here have been shit. They've given us no leads and nothing to work with, we've got one lead only and that's Ben Braeden. There has to be someone in that room who knows about him, someone who is willing to speak to us about him and about Lisa Braeden because I'm telling you Bro there is something strange about that kid, I just can't put my hand on what it is. His mother is a bit strange as well placing her high on my list of potential witch suspects." He frowned, his eyes narrowing as his mind moved through the evidence they had gathered. He would need to have another talk with Lisa Braeden.

"You know I could ask you the exact same question Gabriel" Castiel remarked after a pause, a flat tone to his voice which made Gabriel wince, that was the tone Castiel used when he was pissed off and dealing with a pissed off Castiel was something that Gabriel could have done without at that moment in time. He glanced back at Castiel when the younger man continued speaking, crossing his arms over his chest. "Or do I have to remind you that Sam is just beyond that door, standing behind the bar and well within reach of you. He'll be available to talk to and flirt with. Are you going to be able to focus at the job at hand Gabriel or are you going to spend all your time tonight at the bar trying desperately to get into his pants?"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed for a moment before he shook his head, placing his hand over his heart and staring at his brother with wide eyes, an offended look plastered on his face.

"I can't tell you just how hurt I am by your accusation Cassie. I am and always have been a complete professional when it's come to this sort of thing. I know when to separate work and pleasure I'll have you know. When I step through those doors in a few minutes then my whole attention will be fixed on talking to the locals and trying to find out whether there's been anything else which has happened in this town which might reflect some witch activity. It wouldn't surprise me if the papers are simply not reporting it. For all we know the witch is someone quite prominent in the town, someone who can affect what is placed in the paper or not. I heard of that sort of thing happening before in small towns, its not exactly uncommon and it would explain the lack of reported strange occurrences."

"That's a possibility" Castiel remarked absently before he turned to look at Gabriel giving him a disbelieving look "As for the rest of your speech well are you actually standing there telling me that you can always be professional?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Gabriel nodded.

"Always" he replied.

"And that time when we were in San Francisco when you jumped the policeman? That was you being professional?" he asked the flat tone leaving his voice to be replaced by an amused tone.

"Yes" Gabriel said "It was vital to solving the case" he continued stubbornly.

"It got you thrown into jail overnight Gabe" Castiel pointed out

"Yeah and that where the ghost was, if I hadn't been thrown in jail and kept the police distracted with my singing then you would never have been able to sneak in, find the body and destroy it. My jumping the police man solved that case."

"Yeah, it also left us pretty damn short on money as well by the time I paid your bail" Castiel said rolling his eyes. He looked away glancing towards the door before he looked back at Gabriel. "So you're telling me that if we walk into that room right now and you see Sam standing there naked with a can of whip cream and a come and get me smile you'd ignore him and question the locals?" he asked, his mouth curving into a smile when Gabriel snorted shooting Castiel an amused look. The residual tension between them dispersing as though it had never existed.

"I said I was a professional Cassie, I didn't say I was stupid. If Sam is standing there naked waiting for me, and I pray to God above that he is, then you know I'll be taking care of that business first before I even think of dealing with the Witch side of things, dealing with Sam would be a lot more fun and satisfying then the other option. Besides its not like we have a place to be or another hunt to go on once we've finished this one" he remarked, looking back at the bar in front of him with a thoughtful expression on his face. "We could always take a small break from Hunting if you wanted. Other people get holidays why not us? We could stay here a few days Cassie. You know get two motel rooms and stuff?" he offered casually.

Castiel remained silent for a moment before he slowly nodded his head.

"I think we would have earned a holiday. I can't remember the last time we just stopped for a while; we're always going from one hunt to another. I'd like to take a break here in Lawrence and I'd like another motel room" he replied before he turned to meet Gabriel's eyes with a serious look. "You don't have to worry about me Gabriel. I'm a professional as well. I know what is at stake here the same way I know exactly what we have to do when we find the witch. I even know that we're running out of time" Gabriel raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Running out of time?" he repeated in confusion. "How exactly are we running out of time? It's not like this Witch is like the one we dealt with in San Diego last year. She's not taking victims to sacrifice them to Hecate, at least not that we can see."

"I'm not talking about that" Castiel said "I'm talking about other Hunters. You said it yourself back at the last motel. If we've picked up the signs then you can guarantee that Uriel and Anna have picked up on them as well. They'll be heading here as soon as they can if they aren't already on there way and I'm not allowing them to get this from us."

Gabriel hissed, his face falling into a frown as he thought about the two Hunters. God he hated the pair of them, if a Supernatural being happened to take them out then he'd probably shake it by the hand and congratulate it before he killed it. There were some people the world was better off without and two of those people were Uriel and Anna in his eyes.

"I had forgotten about them" Gabriel admitted shortly, an undercurrent of anger to his voice.

"I hadn't" Castiel replied equally shortly, he sighed reaching up and running his hand through his hair. "We can't ever afford to forget someone like the pair of them. The more information we can get from the locals before they get here the better. If too many people are asking too many questions then the people of this town will simply close down and we won't get jack shit out of them. Trust me when I say I'm going to be focused on the task at hand."

Gabriel nodded, a feeling of relief sweeping over him as he heard the determination in his brother's voice. This is when he needed Castiel the most. The younger man had a way about him which made people confide him whether they meant to or not. When he was on the top of his game then there was no secret he couldn't uncover.

"Well you'll be focused until ten anyway. I'm thinking that all bets will be off once Dean's pretty little face emerges from the kitchen" Gabriel remarked, grinning widely when Castiel laughed shaking his head.

"That's still three hours where you get my complete and undivided attention" he pointed out "And we can find out a lot in that time period."

"And after that three hour period?" Gabriel teased. Castiel shot him a wicked grin.

"Well then I have some unfinished business to take care of Gabe" he answered with a shrug before he looked towards the door. "We should head in there now if you've finished with this talk. The more time we get to spend in there the more chance we'll have of finding out something about the Braeden's. As you say someone is bound to talk especially if they've been drinking alcohol all night, they might not even realise the importance of what they have been telling us which would be handy for us especially if they don't remember telling us the next day."

"Let's hope so because we need a lucky break in this case Cassie, I've had never had one before where there's literally nothing for us to work with." Gabriel remarked, hesitating for a moment before he reached out and snagged the sleeve of Castiel's light jacket, dragging him to the side of the door so they weren't blocking it.

"How exactly shall we do this tonight?" he asked quietly, smiling over his brother's shoulder at the couple who glanced at them curiously before they entered the bar. Gabriel looked back at Castiel as he continued speaking. "You want to keep together for a bit before we separate or should we walk in separately instead, one now and one in about five minutes or so? We could try and down play the fact that we know each other. It won't work on either Sam or Dean or anyone who was there last night but it might work on people who weren't especially if there's another bar server there tonight. We might get more information that way. People are more likely to talk to someone if they think they are there by themselves because they automatically feel sorry for them."

"I don't think it exactly matters how we go into the bar Gabe as long as we go to the actual bar first. It's gotta look natural when we're questioning them and it's not going to if we don't have a drink in our hand. People tend to get suspicious of people who aren't drinking in bars especially if they start asking questions." Castiel remarked, reaching up and lightly pulling at his lower lip with a thoughtful frown.

"Ok then" Gabriel agreed "We head to the bar first and get a drink, then we separate and we find out what the hell we're dealing with. We can discuss our finding back in the motel room once we're done. I think the further we are from each other the better." Gabriel breathed out shaking his head. "I don't know about you Cassie but I'm beginning to get the feeling that we might be dealing with something more then we initially thought. There's just something about this place which doesn't feel right" he went on to say, his eyes narrowing. "Like there's something sleeping here and its not a witch or at least not a normal witch that we're used to dealing with. I'll be damned if I know what it is though. Maybe the theory which you think is completely crazy isn't quite so crazy after all; maybe just maybe you were on to something there." He met Castiel's eyes. "Let's get this show on the road bro" he announced, pushing his concerns to one side as he turned and led the way through the door and into the warm crowded room.

The first thing that Gabriel saw was Sam standing behind the counter talking to a young blond boy who Gabriel had never seen before. They were standing close together talking to each other paying little attention to the waiting crowd. Gabriel expected to see the waiting crowd rioting but they all seemed content to wait until the two men had finished whatever it was they were discussing. Whatever the younger man was saying to Sam must have been amusing if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

It was a different smile to the one he was used to seeing Sam use. Not showing his teeth and not as wide as before but there was something genuine about it as though he really meant the smile. The only time Gabriel had seen it the day before had been when Sam had been with Dean. He used it all the time when he was near his brother, talking to him. At least he had before the shit had hit the fan between Sam and Castiel the previous night.

Gabriel still has no idea what had happened to turn Sam from the pleasant man they had initially met into one who looked as though he would happily have strangled Castiel with his own bare hands if he had been given the chance. When he had questioned Castiel about what had happened his brother had simply replied that he had no idea what he had done to garner that reaction from Sam. As far as he was concerned he had done nothing which was worthy of Sam's dislike unless Sam considered Castiel shaking Dean's hand a criminal offence.

Gabriel stood in the doorway, staring at Sam, his eyes skirting over the other man's features feeling surprisingly torn.

On one hand he wanted to push what happened last night out of his mind and simply walk up to the bar as though he didn't have a care in the world. He would flash Sam his killer smile and proceed to flirt the other man into submission. Once Sam admitted he was attracted to Gabriel then life would be so much easier for them both. Not only would Gabriel get Sam in bed like he wanted but he would also be able to pick his mind for answers, answers which he was desperately craving. It should have been easy because Gabriel knew he was considered a good catch by most people who met him. He was good looking, he was intelligent and he could hold a conversation and make the other person laugh. He had even been told that he was amazing in bed and yet he had the feeling that none of that would matter to Sam. Something was holding the other man back from getting close to him, Gabriel just needed to figure out what it was and deal with it.

One way or another Gabriel would get Sam; it just required some patience from him.

And yet there was another small part of him which was reacting to Sam in a negative fashion which surprised him, A part which rarely came out but which was surprisingly strong, A part which had flared into life in Castiel's defence. Gabriel might not have been the most attentive of brothers but he was still a big brother at the end of the day and if Sam had a problem with Castiel for no reason and continued to treat his brother like he was scum then Gabriel was going to be forced to do something about it even if it damaged his own chances.

He frowned, sometimes being a big brother sucked.

"You ready or shall we just linger by the doorway some more and let all the cold air in, pissing off the locals because you know that's really going to endear us to them and make them want to talk to us" Castiel pointed out from behind him, placing his hand on Gabriel's shoulder and pushing him forward so he could close the door behind them.

"Funny" Gabriel replied, shaking his head as he led the way through the crowd towards the bar. He pushed through the waiting throng until he was at the bar standing directly in front of Sam and the blond boy. Sam glanced towards him, his hazel eyes lingering on Gabriel's face for a moment before he looked around him, his eyes widening slightly as though he had just realised that there was a crowd waiting to be served by them. He looked back towards the blond boy who was looking around him with a sheepish look.

"You head over there and serve the people on that side Adam, it looks like they've been waiting for us for a few minutes now, make sure you apologise to them for the wait. I'll deal with this lot over here" he commented his eyes flickering back to Gabriel and Castiel. Gabriel watched as they narrowed slightly before Sam turned and smiled at Adam, placing his hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze before he pushed him lightly to the people waiting at the end of the bar. The boy, Adam glanced back at them both with a curious look before he looked away heading over the portion of the bar which Sam had allocated him.

Gabriel shot him a thoughtful look; he would have to try and grab the boy later on and see whether he could get any information from him. He looked pretty young and Gabriel had learnt from experience that the younger the witness the more likely they were to talk to him.

"Don't even think about it Gabriel" Sam stated flatly, resting his palms against the counter and leaning forward slightly, a watchful expression on his face as though he was waiting to see what Gabriel was planning on doing.

"Think of what exactly?" Gabriel replied innocently.

"Whatever it is you're thinking to do with Adam then just forget it. Leave him be, he's just a kid" Gabriel smirked.

"Now you're just making him interesting to me" Gabriel remarked glancing back at Adam before he met Sam's eyes and smiled. "Don't get your knickers into a twist Sam. There's only one person who is on my mind at the moment and he's standing right in front of me looking pretty damn fine." He watched as Sam's mouth moved upwards into a smile before he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah real smooth there Romeo" Sam snorted "What can I get you?" he asked turning professional.

"Two bottled beers of some description and a promise that if I'll leave Adam alone tonight then you'll give me at least twenty minutes of your time later so we can talk."

"Just talk?" Sam said suspicious.

"Just talk" Gabriel confirmed "and before you say anything Sam I'm a man of my word. I don't break it ever" he said, a serious tone coming to his voice. Sam frowned slightly searching his eyes before he sighed looking down the bar towards Adam.

"Fine you leave Adam alone and you'll get twenty minutes to talk to me later, deal?"

Gabriel grinned.

"Deal"

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for reading!**

**And if you've taken the opportunity to review or favourite or follow the story at this point then thank you very much, it's much appreciated!**


	15. To think that you're the clever one

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Chapter Fifteen

To think that you're the clever one of us…

Disclaimer

**None of the characters mentioned in the below chapter belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

Author Note

**So here's the next chapter for you.**

**I'm sorry for the delay in getting it out to you but I'm been trying desperately to wrap up reunion so its finished and I can concentrate on this story and matchmaker 101. I know it might look like I've abandoned all my other stories but I haven't. I have every intention of finishing them off, I've just got to think logically and focus on one and two at a time so I can give them my full attention rather then be split over so many stories at once! Completely my fault I know but luckily my muse has seemingly taken pity on me and stopped bombarding me with new ideas.**

**This chapter is shorter then the other ones and I'm sorry for that but sometimes is just the way it goes. As much as I'd like to smack out 3000+ chapter each and every time its not always possible, saying that though some of the chapter will be longer then that…**

**This chapter is done by Adam's point of view, anyone who has read my other stories will know by now that I have a major soft spot for the severely underused youngest Winchester brother and that I try to feature him in as many stories as I can so he will be in this one ****. I'm using him to give an outside view of what is happening…**

**And I know that Dean is missing for a second chapter but he's coming back don't worry about that!**

**Anyway please enjoy!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Adam tries to figure out what exactly is going on and make Sam listen to him...**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Well that had been seriously weird.

Adam Milligan raised an eyebrow looking at his older brother from the corner of his eyes. There was definitely something going on between him and the short guy if the looks they were shooting each other when no one was looking was anything to go by. Adam didn't get it but then again he tended not to understand much of what Sam and Dean did with their lives. He was just grateful that they had accepted him so easily when their father had brought him to the Winchester family home when his mother had been murdered. There had been a rough first month but after that things had gone great for him.

He shifted on the spot breathing out noisily as he tried to figure out what Sam's plan was because Adam could only assume that his brother did have a plan of some kind to explain why the hell he was flirting with Gabriel Novak of all people. Adam hadn't believed it when Jo rang him that morning to tell him to get his ass to the bar that evening so he could see it with his own eyes and yet she had been completely right.

Both his brothers had been acting strangely since the previous night though he didn't know why, only that it had something to do with the two Hunters who were moving through their bar as though they belonged there, talking to the locals and clearly trying to find something out from them, though what that was, was beyond Adam to be able figure out without more background information. He had caught them looking at him once or twice but so far they had stayed away from him, something which he was highly grateful for considering the fact that any Hunter made his stomach turn.

Glancing around him, he strolled over to where Sam was restocking the fridge and spoke.

"So Sam, care to tell me what that little encounter from earlier was all about?" he asked curiously, leaning against the back counter and crossing his arms over his chest examining his fingernails with what he hoped was a bored look. Sam tilted his head back and blinked up at him.

"What scene from earlier?" he asked as he pushed him self to his feet and looked down at him. Adam made a sound of annoyance ignoring the smile which came to Sam's face at the noise. It pissed Adam off more then he cared to admit that Sam was taller then him, at least him and Dean were the same height and therefore able to look each other in the eye without having to suffer from neck ache to do so.

"Oh come on Sam, this is me you're talking to, stop playing dumb and answer the question. You know exactly what scene I'm talking about, I mean it's not like you've had any other scenes today have you?"Adam waited for an answer, rolling his eyes when Sam continued to look blankly at him. "For god sake Sam, I'm talking about the flirty conversation you had with the short stack earlier on, what the hell was it about?"

"I'm sorry; who exactly is the short stack meant to be Adam?" Sam asked in amusement, a grin coming to his face as he reached up and ran his hand through his hair. Adam rolled his eyes again, looking away from his brother to scan the packed crowd in front of them, chewing absently on his bottom lip before he eyes stilled. There he was.

"Well done Sam you can hear correctly, give yourself a pat on the back for that achievement" Adam answered absently before he unfolding his arms and pointed directly at Gabriel. "Yep that short stack over there trying to charm some information out of Danielle Hooper? The one with the blond hair and the freaky eyes you know him Sam? Because if not then you should that he's Gabriel freaking Novak! Does his name happen to ring a bell with you per chance?" Adam demanded.

Adam felt Sam's eyes burning into the side of his head but he ignored it, watching as Gabriel worked. He was good Adam had to give him that; he was standing closer to Danielle then he needed to be, his head bent towards her clearly saying something in her ear. Adam tilted his head watching as a wide smile came to Danielle's face. He glanced back towards Sam surprised and disturbed to see a dark expression on the older man's face. An expression which Adam hadn't seen for a very long time and one which he had been hoping not to see again. Adam swallowed nervously, setting his shoulder and standing straight before he reached out and placing his hand on Sam's forearm.

"Sam, are you okay?" he asked in concern. He watched as Sam nodded, his eyes narrowing at Gabriel for a moment before he looked back at Adam.

"Who told you he was Gabriel Novak Adam?" Sam demanded an undercurrent of anger to his voice. Adam swallowed again before he raised an eyebrow at him.

"Jo did" he replied simply. "She thought it was only fair to warn me that there were two Hunters on the prowl in town especially as according to her, both Novak brothers have taken an interest in you and Dean. Call it crazy Sam but I kinda want to know if you and Dean are in any trouble because you're my only family left, it's kinda important to me that you remain fucking safe, but I get I'm the younger brother after all so why bother including huh" he stated bitterly, reaching up and running a hand through his blond hair, breathing out loudly before he continued speaking, interrupting Sam before he could say anything in response to what he had said. "But I would have figured it out within about two minutes of being here even if she hadn't told me or at least I would have figured out he and his brother were Hunters, as I told you before Sam, the dude has freaky eyes though nothing compared to his brother's eyes." Adam said, suppressing a shiver as he thought about Castiel Novak's cold blue eyes, now that was someone he definitely didn't want near his family.

"There was nothing to tell you yet Adam, we would have spoken to you if there had been. You know that we don't leave you out of things if it's something serious concerning us all." Sam stated absently his gaze moving back towards Gabriel. Adam shook his head watching curiously, his eyes moving between Sam and Gabriel, he saw the exact moment Gabriel looked up at Sam and saw the heated look that was exchanged between the two of them before Sam looked away with a scowl. Adam silently whistled. Was Sam even aware of what had just happened between him and Gabriel? Surely he must have been, anyone would have known what that look had meant. "What?" Sam demanded clearly catching Adam's shocked expression.

"Nothing" Adam replied brightly, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. Sam watched him suspiciously for a moment before he rolled his eyes and lowered him self back down below the counter, opening up the fridge intent on putting away the remaining bottles of beer before the next wave of customers hit them, all of them demanding service.

"He does have freaky eyes you know" Adam announced as he dropped down beside Sam and opened up the second fridge, taking half the bottles from Sam. He focused on putting them away, keeping his eyes on the task at hand as he continued speaking. "And I'm not talking about the strange amber thing he's got going on because for the record they could easily be coloured contacts lenses, you can get them from anywhere these days" he announced. Sam frowned, shooting him a half annoyed, half amused look.

"Where exactly are you going with this Adam?" he asked.

"The expression in his eyes Sam, that what makes them freaky" Adam stated, lowly before he twisted his head round, meeting Sam's hazel eyes with a serious look. "You know I might not be as old as you and Dean are but that doesn't mean I haven't learnt thing or two in my time on Earth. You know the main thing I learnt is that every single Hunter without fail has suffered some great loss in their lives which killed who they were before. Something happened to them in the past which brought them onto the path of a Hunter because how else would they know about us all? It's not like they'd wake up one morning Sam, sit up in bed and be like oh wait I feel like seeing the legends about the supernatural are true and hey if they are why don't I hunt them down for fun? They hunt because something had brought the prey to their attention. They hunt because they can't stop themselves anymore, it's the only way they feel that they have a purpose or have some sort of life."

"Adam-"Sam began but Adam cut across him.

"Something happened to the Novaks Sam, not to just one of them but to the pair of them which means that you're talking about the death of a loved one, a parent or a sibling. I mean just think for a moment what you would have done if you had been human? You lost your mum real early for a witch before she could finish teaching you and Dean then on top of that our Dad was murdered not to mention that my own mum was killed before that, would you not have considered becoming a hunter if you had been human and all this shit happened to you?"

"What's brought this on Adam?" Sam asked gently. Adam breathed out nosily, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose as he silently prayed to Hecate to grant him the strength and patience to deal with older brothers.

"You know it really scares me that you are meant to be the smart one out of the three of us" he snapped. "For someone so freaking smart you're acting so fucking dumb" he reached out placing both hands on Sam's shoulders. "Listen to me Sam and I mean really listen to me for once in your life. Gabriel's eyes are freaky because he has that same expression that every Hunter has, the expression which means that they are not going to stop going for something once they've got their attention fixed on it. Hunters do not stop for anyone or anything Sam once their target is in sight. They'd kill their own brother if he turned supernatural, maybe just maybe you should think about that before you start flirting with a cold blooded killer who would happily kill us all, the same way a Hunter killed my mother."

Adam let go of Sam, forcing him self to his feet, he glanced around, his eyes focusing on Gabriel as the younger man approached the bar, his gaze fixed on Adam with a look which sent a shiver down his spine. He had seen that look directed at him before.

"Adam-"Sam began but Adam stopped him, holding his hand out in a classic stop sign.

"He's coming" he stated flatly before he forced a smile onto his face aware that Gabriel was now in listening range of them. "Yeah really funny there Sam, you're always a riot. Just so you know I'm gonna take my break now. I'll be upstairs with Dean if you need me, if not I'll be back down in fifteen minutes" he saluted Sam before turning to Gabriel as the other man stopped by the counter "Sam will serve you" he stated firmly, turning and heading towards the back entrance.

His eyes shut when he heard Sam speak to Gabriel hoping against hope that his older brother knew what he was doing.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read **

**If you've taken the time to review or favourite or follow this story then thank you very much, it's much appreciated! **


	16. Unfinished Business

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters who are mentioned in the below chapter belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment.**

Author Note

**Holy moly! I can't believe this story has over a hundred reviews, that's crazy and definitely not something which I expected when I first began writing this story so thank you Soooooo much.**

**I woke up today and was inspired to write so I figured that I would put this chapter up now rather then wait a week like I normally do**

**Oh and while I remember anything which is in italics is a conversation happening within minds **

**So please enjoy and thank you so much!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

"**In that case come and talk to me"**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Mentions of Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Unfinished Business

* * *

Dean's head hurt.

If it had been a slight ache then he would have easily been able to deal with it but it wasn't, instead it was a throbbing pain which seemed to spread throughout his brain, settling behind his eyes and stabbing them. The lights in the kitchen were too bright, the dishwasher and blenders were too loud for him to be able to cope with and he was pretty sure that if he had to smell one more meal or food produce then he was going to throw up.

He could have healed himself of course which would have taken seconds but he didn't dare to. If he did then he ran the risk of exposing him, Sam and Adam to the two Hunters who he knew were already downstairs, prowling the bar looking for answers and in the case of one certain blue eyed Hunter looking for Dean.

One of the Novak brothers, hell perhaps even both of them, was sensitive to the vibrations which any act of magic or spell casting caused. They shouldn't have been aware that it even existed let alone have been able to detect them and trace them back to the origin like they had done when Dean had healed Ben. There was something about them which was different from normal humans; something which made them more dangerous then any Hunter Dean had come across for a very long time. He sighed, running a tired hand down his face. Perhaps Ellen was right and they were dormant.

It still left him in an awkward position, if Dean healed him self then they might know and then they would know for definite that the witch they were hunting was somewhere in the bar. Dean couldn't put the people downstairs, people he had sworn to protect, in danger just because he wanted the pain to leave him so he could think clearly about their current messed up situation.

Pain, he realised with a sinking feeling in his stomach, which wasn't getting any better, if anything it was getting worse with each passing second.

He groaned, dropping the bowl he had been using to the side before he leaned forward, resting his elbows against the cold surface of the metal work counter and burying his face into his palms as he closed his eyes, breathing in and out slowly and trying to focus his wavering attention on what was important.

It wasn't as though he hadn't dealt with similar pain in his past. Hell he had dealt with much worst and still been able to stand and carry on, it was one of the tests which he had to endure when he was sworn in as the Maiden and one which he had passed with flying colours. He shouldn't be feeling this level of pain now from a mere headache, it shouldn't have been possible and yet several things which he thought was impossible seemed to be happening to him. Something was coming, he could feel it, he just couldn't figure out what exactly it was.

Dean sighed, a shiver going through him when the hot air hit his palm, there was a slight pause before the skin began heating up causing his eyes to drift shut again. Castiel was below waiting for him, he could feel it, the same way he could feel the other man's impatience growing. Castiel wanted to see him and to touch him.

A slight frown came to Dean's face as he opened his eyes in surprise, suddenly aware of a flicker of concern growing in his mind from a mind path he hadn't been aware of before. The concern didn't belong to either Sam or Adam who were the only two he ever allowed into his mind and with Adam it was only rarely.

Dean's mouth fell open as his eyes widened in shock. If the concern didn't belong to either Sam or Adam then there was only one other person who it could belong to and yet it was impossible. Dean had made sure that he left the soul line between him and Castiel alone, the human shouldn't have been able to feel what Dean was feeling yet and he definitely shouldn't have been able to project his emotions onto Dean, emotions which was slowly turning from slight concern into full blown concern. Dean didn't know if Castiel was feeling his pain or whether he could just tell that there was something wrong but he was reacting to it none the less.

A shard of pain slicing through his mind hit him making Dean gasp out loud.

What the hell was going on?

"Hey Dean, how are things up here going?" Dean's head snapped up, his wide gaze focusing on his youngest brother in surprise. There was a pause in which they stared at each other, light blue eyes clashing with green before Adam suddenly frowned in concern. "Jesus Christ is that meant to be a headache?" Dean demanded, stepping forward and reaching his hand out automatically towards Dean's temple, his eyes glowing brighter in the light as he tapped into his magic.

Dean reacted instantly, reaching out and grabbing his brother round the wrist, halting his movement before Adam's fingers could brush his skin.

"Don't Adam" he warned softly, watching as a surprised look came to Adam's face, a look which was mingling with Adam's desire to heal Dean, a longing which Dean knew would only grow with each passing minute that Adam stood there while Dean was in pain.

His brother had been born a natural healer, a very rare thing and one which people would want as their own if they knew about it. There was no way in hell that Dean was going to allow anyone, human or supernatural, to get their hands on his brother, not while he was still breathing and the Maiden. If that meant protecting him by shielding the fact from other people then he was more then willing to do that.

"Dean what-"Adam began, stopping when Dean spoke over him.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture Adam" he stated firmly, still holding onto Adam's wrist knowing that every part of Adam's nature was demanding that he healed his big brother and stopped his growing pain. "Because I really do and trust me when I say that I wish I could let you heal me up but I can't let you do that because you can't heal anyone at the moment Adam, you can't even heal yourself if you need to."

"Why can't I?" Adam demanded, his eyes dropping from the top of Dean's head to meet his eyes with an annoyed frown which reminded Dean of Sam. "I can heal you in a second Dean, I mean isn't that one of the main parts of being a healer, to you know heal people when they need healing? You've always told me that I should use my gift to help people who really need it, hell you've even been teaching me how to do it and now out of the blue you're telling me to stop?" Adam stated an undercurrent of frustration to his voice.

"Yeah I am Adam, nothing about what I said you has changed, it's the circumstances which have changed" Dean replied in frustration as he noticed the familiar stubborn expression come to Adam's eyes, a look which meant that his brother was going to fight him every step of the way over this. He sighed, reaching up and running his hand through his hair, wincing at the sharp pain the action caused him.

"Jesus Dean, will you get off your high horse and let me help you, I can feel how bad your pain is from here." Adam said, a note of despair coming to his voice a he fidgeted on the spot as though he was in pain him self.

"Listen to me Adam, if you heal me then the Novak brothers will know" Dean stared, his grip tightening on Adam's wrist as he met his gaze, refusing to allow his brother to look away from him. "They will feel that you have healed me and then they will know for definite that there is a Witch here. At the moment they are stumbling around blind, they think there is a witch here in town but they aren't sure because everything is pointing to there not being one here. You understand why I can't let you heal me?" Adam searched his eyes for a moment before he slowly nodded.

"So that's the reason why they are downstairs at the moment questioning everybody in the bar?" he asked, shaking his head when Dean nodded. "So they are hoping that someone will tell them something which they can use to find out exactly who the witch is?" Dean nodded again surprised when Adam suddenly grinned, looking amused. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that they have no idea what Lawrence is yet or what they've stumbled into" he stated

Dean shook his head unable to keep the small smile off his face at the sight of Adam's.

"No they really don't but they will soon enough" Dean confirmed. "The thing is I'd rather they find out when I decide they should and not because they felt the vibrations from you healing me, vibrations which are going to be different from mine which means that they might figure out that there is more then one witch here in town. You give out a particular vibration because you're a healer and they could trace it back to you and I can't allow that to happen, so no healing bro. Just try and curb your natural desire to heal everyone who needs it okay. I'm not going to lose you to the Novak brothers or any other Hunter who show their faces here."

"Dean I-"Adam began before Dean interrupted him again, a dangerous tone coming to his voice.

"Let me put it this way Adam, if they go after you or Sam then I swear on the Goddesses above that I will not rest until I've killed every single Hunter in America starting with the Novak brothers. Now I don't particularly want to do that, not only does it mean having to travel around America and stay in shitty motel rooms but it's also kinda tiring reigning destruction down on people. I did it once before and kinda decided that I wouldn't do it again unless someone came after you and Sam. So if you could refrain from healing until the Novak's have fucked off then I'd be kinda grateful especially as I have other things on my mind at the moment."

Adam looked away from him, staring at the side of the room with a torn look on his face before he sighed and nodded, tugging at his wrist in Dean's grip until Dean let go of him.

"Fine" he said unwillingly "As long as it isn't life threatening to you and Sam then I promise that I won't heal anyone until the Novak brothers have disappeared from Lawrence" he paused before he glanced back at Dean "Maybe if you quickened it then-"

"No" Dean answered bluntly. "I'm not going to do anything to them unless I have to, if I do then someone might notice and that would bring more Hunters here and trust me when I say that two are more then enough at the moment. They'll leave eventually but they need to leave in a way which won't bring them back here again"

"You know Dean, Sam is downstairs talking to Gabriel right now" Adam announced causally, glancing down to examine his fingernails as he continued speaking. "I get the impression that he kinda likes him you know, I mean he says he doesn't of course but I don't know there's something between them, this kinda vibe or something. It's strange."

Dean's heart skipped a beat before it sped up.

"Yeah that does sound strange" he stated, swallowing deeply. Dean reached up and pulled his apron off of him, scrunching the material up in his hand. "Here catch" he said throwing the bundle at Adam who caught it automatically, glancing down at it in surprise before he looked back up at Dean with a questioning look.

"What am I meant you do with this exactly?" he asked. Dean rolled his eyes at him.

"Put it on genius and start cooking, orders are piling up and I've got to go and speak to Sam quickly." He announced, moving towards the doorway.

"Whoa Dean wait a moment I-" Dean closed the door behind him, cutting off Adam's protest. He pushed the pain out of his head as he took the stairs two at a time, worry for Sam consuming him until he could think of nothing else. His brother had never made the best decisions once his emotions were involved in the equation and if he was beginning to find a part of Gabriel Novak fascinating then that was just trouble waiting to explode in their faces.

Dean stepped into the crowded bar, looking around him automatically, a slight smile coming to his face when he saw the customers look at him in surprise before their eyes moved past him towards the large clock behind the counter, clearly wondering whether they had somehow managed to lose two hours.

Dean pushed them from his mind, turning his gaze to the side of him, his eyes landing on Sam with a look of relief. Sam was standing well out of Gabriel's reach, his arms crossed over his chest with his bitch face on, meaning that whatever Gabriel was saying to his brother wasn't making any impression on him at all, or at least Sam was being sensible and not allow it to show if it was.

He breathed nosily, shaking his head before he headed down towards Sam, his mouth opening to call his brother when he was suddenly jerked back by a warm hand which wrapped itself around his wrist, a thumb softly stroking the skin over his pulse sending a shiver of desire down his spine. Dean swallowed, looking back with an annoyed look, ignoring the way his heart began pounding against his ribs as he met Castiel's hungry blue gaze. The other man was leaning over the counter in a way that didn't look comfortable to Dean.

"Get. Your. Hand. Off. Of. Me" Dean stared coldly, pausing after every word and trying to ignore the way his body was reacting to Castiel's touch. He frowned when he realised that not only had Castiel not released him but also that his headache was completely gone as though it had never existed leaving Dean feeling completely clear headed for the first time in hours.

"No Dean" Castiel replied back quietly, his eyes moving over Dean's features, lingering on his mouth before he raised them to meet Dean's wide gaze again. "We need to talk" he said causing Dean to frown at him.

"No we don't, we've got nothing to say to each other" Dean pointed out, taking a step towards Castiel "Now let go of my wrist unless you want a fucking riot on your hand" Castiel frowned, glancing around him for the first time, his eyes widening before they narrowed as he clearly noticed all the people staring at him, or more importantly the people staring at the hand encircling Dean's wrist with a look of anger on their faces.

Castiel slowly let go.

"We do have things to talk about" Castiel replied "And you know we do, what is it exactly Dean? Are you scared of being alone with me for a moment?" he asked casually, leaning against the bar so there was only the wood separating them from each other. Dean scowled, licking his lips, heat pooling in the pit of his stomach when Castiel's eyes dropped to follow the movement.

"Jesus get over yourself would ya" he snapped. Castiel looked amused as he leaned over, brushing his fingers over the back of Dean's hand before Dean snatched it away from the soft touch.

"It pisses you off that I'm under your skin doesn't it Dean" he said, his voice low and dark, almost caressing Dean's name in a way which made Dean's shudder.

"You're not under my skin Castiel" Dean replied, watching as Castiel leaned back and shrugged.

"In that case come and talk to me" he replied. Dean hesitated for a moment before he straightened, plastering a disinterested look before he shrugged.

"Fine, if that what it takes to make you go away then we'll talk." he stated, turning and walking down the counter, he brushed past Sam who grabbed his elbow, halting his movement.

"Dean-"

"Yeah not now Sammy" Dean replied, pulling his elbow out of Sam's grip and moving away. He opened the mental link between them showing his brother the scene which had just occurred though he kept his own reaction to Castiel hidden from Sam. He heard Sam's hiss in his head.

"_Have you gone completely mad?"_ Sam demanded in his head, _"You can't fucking go to him Dean, it's exactly what he wants you to do"_

_"Exactly Sammy" _Dean answered using the same method as he moved through the crowd, smiling at the customers, his gaze focused on Castiel, who stood still watching him move towards him with a heated gaze that made Dean's palm flare. "_Isn't this what everyone wants, its time for me to get the information we need, information which Ellen wants remember? If anyone can make Castiel Novak talk then its me."_

Sam hesitated.

"_I don't have to like it but I get that you have to do this, just be careful Dean and call for help if you need it" _Sam said, a trace of defeat to his mental voice "_You're too important to lose"_

_"Don't sweat it Sammy, I've got this one, just keep away from Gabriel okay, don't allow the bastard to touch you"_

Dean came to a stop in front of Castiel.

"Well" he said shortly "Talk then Castiel, what's so damn important" Castiel stared at him for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face.

"Let's go somewhere quieter where we can actually hear each other properly." Castiel answered, before he reached down and wrapped his hand around Dean's wrist again, moving them both through the crowd and towards the exit.

"_Dean?"_ Sam called, concerned growing in his voice.

"_Stay here Sam, I'm still fine" _Dean reassured his brother.

He blinked when Castiel led them outside; it was cool and growing dark. Dean's eyes automatically rose to the sky taking in the rich pinks and purples before he forced him self to look at Castiel.

"Fine here I am, say whatever it is you want to say so I can get on with my evening" Dean stated coldly. Castiel smiled, glancing down towards the ground for a moment.

"You were right you know" he stated softly causing Dean to frown in confusion.

"Right about what? You're going to have to be more specific because I'm often right"

Castiel smiled.

"We really don't have anything to talk about."

Dean barely had time to blink before Castiel moved, shoving Dean hard against the wall and pinning him against the cold wall with his body.

"But" Castiel continued to say, reaching up and wrapping his hand around the back of Dean's neck "We do have unfinished business."

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	17. What the hell just happened?

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

Disclaimer

**None of the characters who are mentioned in the below chapter belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment.**

Author Note

**You know It's actually like I can hear your cries of rage from here.**

**Firstly I'm aware that this chapter is short, much shorter then the previous one and I'm sorry for that but I can't always do the long chapters, you need to accept that sometimes, some of the chapter will be shorter even if you don't want them to be.**

**I thought it was about time that Dean tipped the scales into his favour and took control of the situation. You know trying to make the most out of a bad situation and all that sort of thing. I'm sure most of you have realised that the Winchester/Milligan brothers are a lot older then they look and therefore have a great deal of experience with things and I think its about time that Dean used it.**

**Don't worry though, the thing you all want to read the most is definitely coming, it's just got to be at the right time for the characters and they aren't quite there yet… nearly but not quite**

**Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter **

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them. Now they must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Not so fast…**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Castiel Novak / Dean Winchester…. I think we might be slightly beyond hinting with the pair of them by now.**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

What the hell just happened?

* * *

Castiel's eyes slowly drifted shut as the smell of Dean surrounded him, soothing him and sending the headache which had been plaguing him all evening away as though it had never existed in the first place. He wasn't sure how it did but he was grateful for it and for the ability to actually think straight. Dean smelt fresh as though he spent his life outdoors instead of cooped up in the bar, a very nice bar but a bar none the less.

Castiel had only smelt the scent once before a few years back when both him self and Gabriel had been forced to spend the night camping in a forest, safe within protection sigils, while they hunted the Wendigo which was terrorising the local hiking population. The place has smelt of new pine tress and fresh rain water mingled into one and it was the exact same scent which was coming off of Dean in waves until Castiel felt as though he was drowning in it.

Without thinking Castiel surged forward, burying his face into the crook of Dean's neck, sniffing at the warm skin as he nuzzled it, his hand moving from the back of Dean's neck to the side of his throat, gently tilting the other man's head toward the sky above them so he could have better access to the area he was exploring. His thumb gently stroking over Dean's pulse, a pulse which Castiel was sure was beating faster then it should have been. A pulse which indicated to Castiel that Dean was affected by what he was doing to him.

He knew he should have spoken by now, saying anything which would have broken the heavy silence between them, a silence which was fraught with unspoken tension until Castiel thought he would scream from it.

He should have tilted his head back, pulling Dean's head down and kissing him, exploring every inch of Dean's mouth like he had fantasised about doing since he had woken up that, panting and flushed from his dream and beyond grateful that Gabriel had been in the shower and so hadn't witnessed the state he had been in. God knew he was in the best position to do it with Dean trapped between his body and the stone wall behind him and yet Castiel couldn't bring him self to move however much his brain was screaming at him to.

There was something comforting about the way they were. Everything easing and calming within him so he actually felt as though he was him self again for the first time since he had walked into the impala bar and caught sight of Dean's wide grin and sparkling green eyes over the counter.

Just what was it about the man standing in front of him that attracted Castiel to him so much that all his reason flew out the window?

Was it his eyes?

His smile?

Was it the expression he saw every time Dean glanced at him, a look of desire mingled with a look of determination, as though Dean was willing to do whatever it took to keep the people he cared about safe from harm? Castiel had seen that look of determination enough times in the mirror before a hunt to know exactly what it meant ,but what he couldn't figure out was why it was in Dean's gaze. What was around here which made Dean act that way? Who was he protecting and from what?

What it came down to was the fact that Castiel had no idea what it was. Hell for all he knew it could have been for all of the above reasons as well as others. All he knew for definite was the fact that he didn't want Dean out of his sight. He wanted the other man to be around him at all times and he was determined to somehow make that happen.

He had been aggressive in his pursuit of Dean so far but perhaps it was wrong method. Perhaps there were other better ways which Castiel could use which would make Dean drop the barriers which seem the surround the other man so closely and allow him in. Given the chance Castiel was sure that he could make the other man desire him as much as Castiel desired Dean. The question was how could he do it in the time he had left in town? Time which he was well aware was running out swiftly for him.

Castiel knew his brother better then anyone and he knew that regardless of what Gabriel had said they wouldn't spend time in the town once the witch had been located and destroyed. It simply wasn't Gabriel's nature. He never stayed anywhere for longer then a few days, always having to move on to find the next hunt and often dragging Castiel with him for the ride. He knew that if he told Gabriel that he didn't want to go then Gabriel would accept that and simply leave him behind but he knew he couldn't do that to his brother, not after everything they had gone though together. Gabriel needed him whether he admitted it or not which left Castiel feeling torn.

What the hell was he meant to do?

He was aware that Dean hadn't made any attempt to move away from him since Castiel had started nuzzling his neck which he took as a good sign. If Dean hadn't of been attracted to him then he would have shoved him aware from him the minute Castiel had started. He wouldn't have stood still in his embrace and allowed Castiel control, of course neither had he made any move towards Castiel but Castiel was patient.

That would come and he would be satisfied with being this close to Dean for the moment.

"Dean" he said lowly, his warm breath touching Dean's exposed flesh making the other man shiver in reaction. Castiel swallowed, unable to stop him self lightly kissing the spot of skin where his mouth was resting before he tilted his head back to look at Dean, the sight making his breath catch in his throat.

God Dean was stunning, his face flushed making his freckles stand out on his cheekbones and nose in the fading sunlight. His eyes were half closed and fixed on Castiel in a watchful expression as though he was trying to burrow his way into Castiel's mind to see what was going on in his head.

Castiel breathed out, his grip tightening on Dean's neck as he spoke.

"Dean I-"

He stopped abruptly when Dean reached up and covered the hand which Castiel had left against Dean's throat, wrapping his fingers around it and slowly pulling it away from his neck before he lightly dropped it. Castiel watched as Dean took a step to the side creating space between them. Space which Castiel instantly wanted to bridge.

"Castiel" Dean said, reaching up and running his hand through his short hair, his lips quirking up at the corners into a slight amused smile. "You can't think that this was going to be that easy?" he questioned in surprise, the tone and the question causing Castiel to frown slightly in response as he crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to stop him self reaching over and touching Dean again.

"What do you mean?" he demanded curiously. Dean made a huff of amusement, glancing to the side of him towards the entrance of the bar as though he was suddenly lost in thought, Castiel watched as the other man slowly licked his lips, biting lightly on the lower one before he released it and looked back towards Castiel, tilting his head slightly to the side in a questioning manner, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"What I mean is that you couldn't have actually have thought that if I let you take me outside then I was yours for the taking?" he asked, leaning back against the wall and crossing his ankles as he stuffed his hands into his jeans pocket, his gaze fixed on Castiel. Castiel stared back surprised when he felt his face flush in embarrassment. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had caused him to blush or to squirm.

"No I-" Castiel began stopping when Dean suddenly smiled at him.

"Good because that's not the way its gonna work" he stated firmly. "For a start I need to know about you before I even think of letting you kiss me" Dean remarked casually, pushing him self off of the wall and taking a step toward Castiel, his eyes roaming over Castiel's face as though he was committing his features to his memory. "Because I know fuck all about you at the moment, I mean who are you really? Where exactly did you come from? Why are you here in Lawrence? What do you really do because I think we've already established that you aren't a Doctor regardless of what you told Lisa? You're gorgeous don't get me wrong and I'd quite like to kiss you to see if your lips are as soft as they look but this" he indicated Castiel with his hand. "Whole act thing you've got going on at the moment isn't working for you" he stated bluntly. "If anything it's turning me off. If you want me then you need to make an effort to get to know me, if you don't then-" he shrugged, his voice trailing off as his eyes bored into Castiel's, a heated look in them which made Castiel feel alive, his body tingling beneath the gaze.

"Then what Dean?" Castiel asked when the silence between them threatened to continue.

"Then we'll never know what could have been will we?" Dean answered quietly, moving to the door and gripping the handle as he glanced back at Castiel. "Now I'll be inside, when the real Castiel feels like coming in to talk to me then I'll be waiting, otherwise stay the fuck away from me" he remarked before he pulled on the door and entered leaving Castiel staring at the empty space he had been with his mouth open.

What the hell had just happened and why the hell had it been such a turn on?

Castiel wasn't sure but what he was sure of now was that Dean would be his. If it meant getting the other man then Castiel would play whatever game Dean wanted him to regardless of the consequences.

Somehow he knew it would be worth it in the end.

* * *

Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read.**

**Hello confident Dean, I've been waiting for you to make yourself known to me, I've missed you **** I mean come on people, you didn't think Dean of all people was going to make it easy for Castiel. If he had to do this then you know it's gonna be on his terms or not at all…**


	18. I know what we need to do

Witch Hunt

By

Ava Brett

* * *

Disclaimer

**None of the characters who are mentioned in the below chapter belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment.**

Author Note

**Here's the next chapter for you!**

**I'm sorry about the delay but real life has reared its head and I had to answer its call. As much as I would love to stay in front of my laptop and write all the time I can't **

**Anyway today is my birthday so yay, I know normally I'm meant to take it easy and everything but I thought that as a gift from me to you I would write this chapter. It's not as long as the others but it's still fairly wrong and its better then a kick in the teeth or no chapter at all!**

**Please be aware that most of this chapter is happening at the same time as the previous chapter**

**So yeah please enjoy!**

Overall Summary

**Sam and Dean Winchester's lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Gabriel and Castiel Novak, hunters whose reputation precede them. They know that the Hunters are after them but when Castiel marks Dean as his own, the brothers realise how truly screwed they actually are. Now it's a race against time to not only hide who they are from the Novaks but to try and obey the rules of the coven which state they must use their powers against them for the greater good of their kind. Now Sam and Dean must make a decision, their coven or the loves of their lives?**

Chapter Summary

**Gabriel has a talk with Sam and comes to a decision about where he and Castiel have to go to next.**

Overall Romance

**Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester and Gabriel Novak/Sam Winchester**

Chapter Romances

**Gabriel Novak / Sam Winchester, hints of Castiel Novak/ Dean Winchester**

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Chapter Eighteen

I know what we need to do  


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Gabriel raised his eyebrow as he turned on the spot to watch his brother's progress through the crowded room towards the exit with Dean in toll. He wondered whether Castiel was aware of all the eyes currently watching him, gazes which Gabriel could see from here were full of distrust, surprise, desire and envy all mingled into one as every one of those eyes preceded to drop from Castiel's face to stare down at the hand which he still had wrapped around Dean's wrist, A hand which they clearly all wanted to rip off Dean.

He liked to think that it would be a given that Castiel would not only be aware of all the eyes but also he would know exactly who each individual was in the first place. God knew that Castiel was the observant one of the pair of them, always picking up on the small things which everyone else tended to miss, either because they were that small or because they didn't, at first, spot the significance of it.

Somehow though he doubted that Castiel's attention was on anything other then the man walking behind him.

After all, why would Castiel pay attention to people he would have already scoped out when he first entered the bar that evening, when he was finally getting Dean exactly where he wanted him, not only that but he had someone convinced Dean to follow him outside where they would be alone with each other, without any watching eyes on them.

Gabriel was almost impressed by it.

He sighed and shook his head. It wasn't as though he could blame his younger brother for being distracted for the first time while they were on a job, normally Castiel was able to place his own desires and thoughts to one side during a hunt, picking them back up once they had completed the job but that clearly wasn't the case this time around. There was clearly something about Sam's older brother which was proving to be irresistible to Castiel, for the first time his brother appeared to be unable to put the job first and it was something which worried Gabriel more then he was willing to admit.

Then again if it had been the other way round and it had been Gabriel dragging Sam out into the cool air then he knew that he would have acted the same way as Castiel, safe in the knowledge that not only could he deal with any threat which might have occurred but also that his brother was there in the crowd, watching his back and making sure that he had the back up he might need.

A slight smirk came to his mouth as he watched Castiel push open the door and leave the room with an expressionless Dean. There was no way in hell that Gabriel was going to miss this opportunity to lecture Castiel about keeping his mind on the job. His brother rarely let his guard down enough to make mistakes; in fact Gabriel was pretty positive that he could count all the occasions it had occurred in the past on one hand. His smirk grew, he on the other hand had probably hit the double digits by now, a fact that Castiel never failed to remind him of during one of their rare fights.

Gabriel turned away from the door, twisting back to the front and focusing his attention on Sam who was looking past him towards the closed doorway his attention clearly still on his brother. Gabriel remained silent for a moment watching the array of emotions which moved across Sam's eyes like lightening, it was impressive to watch considering the fact that Sam's facial expression was unreadable, looking just like the one which he had glimpsed on Dean's face moments before. Gabriel wondered absently whether they had been taught the expression by someone or whether it was merely something natural which came from their shared gene pool.

It was fascinating to watch but then Gabriel was beginning to find everything which Sam did fascinating.

"You know Sam, since we're both here doing nothing we might as well have our talk. Our brothers are… well…" his voice trailed off and he shrugged, glancing behind him once more with a thoughtful expression, he could just imagine what his brother was doing to Sam's older brother.

"They are talking" Sam answered confidently, Gabriel looked back towards him, raising his eyebrow when Sam took a step back, leaning his body against the back counter as he crossed his arms over his chest. Gabriel's eyes dropped down quickly, taking in the well fitting jeans, the tanned boots and pale blue shirt which Sam was wearing that evening and allowed him self to briefly imagine what Sam would look like without the clothing.

"Maybe they are talking" Gabriel countered, pulling his eyes away from Sam with difficultly as he looked around the room again, his eyes scanning for anything which might have appeared unusual. There was nothing, wherever the witch was they certainly were doing a good job at blending into the crowd.

"Did you actually want to talk to me or did you just want to discuss our brothers because some of us do have a job which needs to be doing" Sam pointed out, waving his hand at the crowds surrounding them, drinking and laughing and clearly having a good time.

"What's the rush Sam?" Gabriel asked as he leaned against the counter one hand absently stroking the rim of his beer bottle, he watched with a slight smirk as Sam's eyes dropped to the movement, watching for a split second before he looked back up with an unimpressed look which made a part of Gabriel squirm inside though his smirk remained fixed on his face. Gabriel had faced bigger challenges then Sam in the past and he had always gotten his man in the end, it wouldn't be any different in this case, he would make sure of it.

"Look around you" Sam stated bluntly. "What do you actually see because I see a packed place full of people who need serving, so either start talking Gabriel or stop wasting my time and let me get on with my job."

"What about the blond boy" Gabriel remarked quietly. "What did you call him earlier? Adam? Why not call him down, maybe he could serve me if you're too busy to?" Gabriel's eyes narrowed slightly as he caught the flash of emotions which came to Sam's eyes at the mere mention of Adam, the most recognisable one being protectiveness. Clearly the kid was important to Sam which meant there was a good chance that he was also important to Dean.

Gabriel stored the knowledge away to use on a different date; somehow he had the feeling that it would be a useful thing for him and Castiel to know for future reference, perhaps a way for them to get Sam and Dean to talk to them.

"Adam's busy upstairs, I'm not going to disturb him because you fancy a chat" Sam answered attracting Gabriel's attention away from his thoughts and back to the tall man in front of him.

"Well we wouldn't want to disturb him now would we" Gabriel agreed with a shrug, his eyes flickered up, meeting Sam's thoughtfully. "So tell me about you and your brother Sam, how long have the pair of you owned this place or does it actually belong to someone else and you merely both work here for fun?"

He watched the small frown come to Sam's face, he looked almost confused as though this was the last thing he expected Gabriel to ask him, he couldn't blame him but Gabriel always liked keeping those he was interested in off balanced, it helped keep things amusing for him.

"The place is ours" Sam answered after a pause. "It's been passed down through the family for as long as I can remember."

"A family business hey?" Gabriel said, dropping his hand from his bottle to the counter surface, tapping his fingers against the smooth wood absently in a random beat. "They can be a right bitch can't they? Always stopping you from doing what you want to do because you feel as though you have to join the business. Everyone else in your family has so why should you escape the same fate; if you try then you'll merely have to endure the disappointed looks from letting them all down yet again." Gabriel stopped abruptly, blinking as he realised what he had been saying.

Damn Sam was easy to talk to; he would have to be careful about what he actually revealed to the younger man and not allow pair of big hazel eyes distract him from his two goals.

Finding information about the witch and destroying her and also getting Sam into bed, at that moment in time, staring at Sam's closed off expression he wasn't sure which one would be more difficult to accomplish.

"It sounds like you have some experience in family business as well Gabriel, is that what you and Castiel do for a living? Something which your family has done before you perhaps?" Sam asked casually, looking away from Gabriel to study his fingernails thoughtfully.

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't Sam, maybe I just don't like family businesses on principle. Besides if I'm giving you information about myself then I feel that it's only fair that you give me something back. Maybe a date so we can carry on discussing this when you're not so busy?" Sam's eyes shot up and he frowned slightly as he searched Gabriel's eyes. For an instant Gabriel was positive that Sam was reading his mind but he pushed the thought away, the other man simply had an extremely intense gaze at times, just like Dean did.

"You're the one who wanted to talk for twenty minutes right now Gabe" Sam pointed out "If you wanted it to be a game where we each revealed something out ourselves or you wanted a date then you probably should have laid that out in the terms and conditions you gave me before I agreed to this." He flashed Gabriel a bright smile, glancing to the side when a red head of medium height appeared suddenly next to Sam, placing a slim hand on his side and shoving against him, making a sound of annoyance when Sam remained on the spot. His smile turned natural as he looked down at the girl.

"Sam" she whined giving up pushing him with a sigh.

"Can I help you with something Charlie?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow. The girl Charlie breathed out nosily, taking a step back away from him and placing her hands on her hips, tilting her head back so she could glare into Sam's amused face.

"You could move, that would be a big help" she pointed out. "I need to get into the fridge that your stupidly big frame is blocking." Sam grinned, moving slightly to the side so she could open the fridge in question and pull out two chilled bottles of lager. She pushed the door shut, her eyes lingering on Sam for a moment before they moved onto Gabriel staring at him unblinkingly as though he was a puzzle she had just discovered and wanted to solve. Gabriel made him self keep her gaze, raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

She was pale he noticed with large dark brown eyes set in a fairly pretty face. There was a look of intelligence in her eyes which he noted as something to look out for in the future. Gabriel frowned slightly when Sam placed a protective hand on her slim shoulder and gave her a slight push down the bar, his hand keeping her from stumbling.

"I'll be a few minutes Charlie and then I'll help you out with the usual suspects" he remarked, nodding his head towards the growing crowd.

"Okay, where has Adam gone by the way, he was here a short time ago" she asked curiously, glancing back at him over her shoulder. Sam shrugged.

"He went upstairs to speak to Dean and then didn't come down when Dean did so I'm guessing he got the unpleasant job of covering Dean" Charlie's face brightened as she looked around her.

"Dean is down here?" she asked "Where is he?"

Before Sam could answer a sharp cold breeze penetrated the room, Gabriel shivered in it, automatically turning to look at the source. His eyes widened when he saw Dean stroll back into the room minus Castiel. Gabriel sucked in a breathe, pushing him self away from the packed bar area and through the thick crowd. He was aware of Sam's eyes on the back of his head but he ignored it, his gaze intent on the door as one thought floated through his head.

Where the hell was his brother?

He twisted his head to look at Dean as they passed each other but the other man ignored him, looking deep in thought. Gabriel thought about grabbing his arm and twisting it hard around his back, demanding he tell him where Castiel was. H ignored the instinct warning him to stay away from Sam's brother but he ignored it, reaching out towards Dean's arm when another blast of cold air attracted his attention. He glanced at the door, his shoulder slumping down as Castiel walked in, his eyes automatically fixing on Dean's back.

Gabriel dropped his arm and hurried over to his brother who looked towards him curiously. Gabriel gritted his teeth, gripping Castiel's arm as he pulled him over to the corner of the room.

"Are you okay?" he demanded quietly, his eyes looking Castiel up and down as he searched for any sign of injury. Castiel blinked at him tone, looking at him in confusion.

"Of course I am" he replied slowly. "Why wouldn't I be?" he demanded, tilting his head to the side. "What's gotten into you?" Gabriel threw his arms into the air, lifting his eyes to the roof and casually prayed for strength.

"Because you went outside with Dean alone and then you didn't come in with him. I-" his voice trailed off as he shrugged. "It just made me think of Raphael that's all" he said quietly

"Oh" Castiel said, a flicker of pain coming to his face as he glanced to the side of the room, nervously licking his lips. "Well as you can see I'm fine"

"What happened out there?" Gabriel asked "Did you solve your unfinished business?"

"No" Castiel answered looking awkward as he reached up and ran his hand through his hair. "We… we just talked"

Gabriel stared at his brother, his mouth falling open slightly in surprise.

"You just talked" he repeated in disbelief. "Let me get this straight Cassie, you took the guy you've been lusting over from the minute you laid eyes on him, outside away from prying eyes and you merely talked? I thought you'd be all over him like a rash or something" For an instant Castiel looked embarrassed before he shrugged.

"Well you guess wrong Gabe, not all of us are like you remember, there are some of us who actually like to take our time over things like this." He looked around him. "Did you manage to find out anything which might be useful to us when it comes to the witch?" Castiel asked, swiftly changing the subject.

Gabriel nodded, his eyes flickering away from his brother to focus on Sam and Dean thoughtfully. They were both speaking to each other about something. His eyes narrowed slightly watching as they both glanced to the side of them when the blond boy from earlier appeared from out back with a displeased expression on his face as he headed towards the pair of them.

"Yeah Cassie" he said with a slight smile. "I think the key to it is walking right towards Sam and Dean. We need to have a word with Adam because I'm pretty positive that it's through Adam that we can get Sam and Dean to open up" he stated.

Castiel remained silent for a moment watching the same scene as Gabriel before he shrugged and spoke.

"Adam it is then."

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Author Note

**Yay for birthdays and the time off you get with it… at least if you're me. This is my birthday treat to my self… updating!**

**Thanks for taking the time to read!**


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